help me reach 100! - update! GTI HEAD BOUGHT!

[Diamond Hell]

if you start skimming/porting etc the head your gonna go well over budget! id just clean it up and whack it on. whats the mileage on the head?

Home porting won't cost much and you have tools you can use on other jobs, so they shouldn't be counted against the budget.

It will should ensure the man makes his target BHP, too.

A skim is precautionary and should ensure the new headgasket seals.  The clean is necessary to get the swarf out from the skim and the home porting waste, too.

While it's there having work done, why wouldn't you get the stem seals replaced?  Who says the seller either knows or is genuine about the mileage the head's done.

As I said previously, it's de-risking the job - spend £50 now to avoid possibly spending another £100 in a short while.

A £100 budget for anything where the head is coming off an engine is rather optimistic, just based on parts alone.  Is it the budget that is crucial here, or the output of the motor?

[Khare]

if you start skimming/porting etc the head your gonna go well over budget! id just clean it up and whack it on. whats the mileage on the head?

doesnt say milage on head or anything. But by porting it i can get a couple extra hp...
This one looks good value and good kit.

ive got around £130 to spend. I should be able to buy the dremel without going overboard. see how it goes

[Khare]

As I said previously, it's de-risking the job - spend £50 now to avoid possibly spending another £100 in a short while.

A £100 budget for anything where the head is coming off an engine is rather optimistic, just based on parts alone.  Is it the budget that is crucial here, or the output of the motor?

if i can get the head skimmed and the valve seals replaced for a cheap price then yeah i'l do it, but not if its over around £50.

[Khare]

just called robinson engineering in bournemouth, and they quoted me £90 for skim and valve stem seals, and £37 for skim only. Also £12.50 for a clean. (not acid dipped)

to be honest, the £90 i would pay for skim and valve seals is alot of money and pretty much all my budget, so i think im gonna go for the skim only (i know its riskier but i actually dont have enough money if i did get the seals replaced)
so skim and maybe a clean, to get it ready for porting and painting. What do you guys think? good deal?

[bomp]

do the porting before a skim, incase you drop a tool on it, or the head falls off the bench or whatever. And have read around the net on doing the stems yourself. It's not like your in a rush is it, or is it? lol

[Khare]

do the porting before a skim, incase you drop a tool on it, or the head falls off the bench or whatever. And have read around the net on doing the stems yourself. It's not like your in a rush is it, or is it? lol

not in a rush but at the same tiem i am, if you know what i mean. Thing is for stem seals i need special tools i dont have, and to be honest patience, which is needed, well i lack of that very much. I'd like everything on the car by about 2 weeks time when all the work is done. And thanks for the tip about porting before the skim

[VeeDubGTI16v]

the head will seal fine without a skim, what rubbish! just make sure its clean. you skim the head if you want to raise compression or the heads warped.
all your risking putting it on without doing all this is a set of head bolts. its up to you but id just whack it on. maybe port match the manifolds but id leave the head alone. why do you think porting a head is so expensive? its because your paying for knowledge!

[Khare]

the head will seal fine without a skim, what nuts! just make sure its clean. you skim the head if you want to raise compression or the heads warped. all your risking putting it on without doing all this is a set of head bolts. its up to you but id just whack it on. maybe port match the manifolds but id leave the head alone. why do you think porting a head is so expensive? its because your paying for knowledge!

since the call i was actually thinking about that. Unless the head has some warping, its wasting £37. £37 is nearly 2/5ths of my budget lol.
And for the £37 i could buy a decent dremel tool. got my eyes on a £30 baby from the last page.
I'l see how the head is on saturday when i pick it up, then i'l evaluate if it needs skimming or not.

[danny_p]

you are dealing with an UNKOWN.   if i take a head off my car or another car i know for some reason other hean headgasket failure it dosen't get skimmed, fine grit wet and dry with WD40 will bing the surface up a treat  ( block need this to )  an unknown head i'll allways throughyl inspect and normaly skim before fitting or at least put some oil on the head and place a think piece of glass over it to check 

[Khare]

you are dealing with an UNKOWN.   if i take a head off my car or another car i know for some reason other hean headgasket failure it dosen't get skimmed, fine grit wet and dry with WD40 will bing the surface up a treat  ( block need this to )  an unknown head i'll allways throughyl inspect and normaly skim before fitting or at least put some oil on the head and place a think piece of glass over it to check 

so fine wet and dry and WD40, on the head surface? would it come out the same as if i skimmed it?
how do i do the glass method to check if it should be skimmed or not?