Cylinder heads??

[Royal]

I have 2 single port heads that came either from a 1500 or a 1600 engine.  These heads may be new (they look pretty good), are still in shipping boxes and look to have new rockers and valves installed.  Since I am slowly getting stuff ready for my exploratory operation to investigate why #1 cylinder compression is lower than the others, I may put them on my 1500sp, BUT I don’t know if they are from a 1500 or 1600sp. 

Is there any difference between 1500 & 1600 single port heads?

I bought the “new” ones at a garage sale. 

[edward ericson]

The heads will work whether they’re the same or not (valves might be different?). But before I started “exploring” with the wrench, I’d try a little oil in the cylinder to see if I had a rings problem or a valve problem:

Recheck cylinders with low compression readings by
injecting approximately 10cc of engine oil into the cylinder through the
spark plug hole.

• If the compression reading increases a little, the problem is probably worn, broken, or poorly seated piston rings.
• If the compression reading remains the same, leaking or damaged valves may be at fault.

[Royal]

Thanks Ed, I have done the old oil-in-the-cylinder trick and the pressure went up about 30# in #1.  Curiously, it starts and runs great with no oil consumption.  But, I had a good feeling about these heads complete with rockers, valves, springs etc.  All ready to bolt on $40.   I figgered that if they weren’t right, then they would still be worth that.  Duck  tape over the valves and inside of chambers.  Rags stuffed in where oil passages are.  Anyway, it appears that the 1500 & 1600 heads are identical from looking at cip1 catalog. 

I’m about to put on my new 3487 exhaust and we’ll see, – I may pull the engine and get started on a “side” end job.  Sure wish that he had had a set of pistons and cylinders at that garage sale. 

[edward ericson]

Yeah, sounds like you’ll be doing jugs at some point. But meantime, if it doesn’t burn oil, I’d go ahead a run it. At least until i was ready to do the major surgery.

And with a 1500 SP the way to go might be to just build a complete “spare” engine & get it ready for when the inevitable happens. Sounds like you’ve got access to some pretty sweet garage sales.

I myself am pondering the Suby EJ22. But it’s years away, at least, as I have been drafted into a multi-season hill-terracing, stone wall-building and other-landscape-gardening project complete with a new-Honda-Civic-sized budget. (It is mainly my job to manage and, considerably, dig, because the landscape architect we called in took one look at the hill, whistled to himself, punched some numbers in his hand-held electronic slide rule, and estimated a budget in Intermeccanica territory).

Off topic, but if anyone has experience with or advice to offer about E.P. Henry building blocks & related matters, PM me.

[Royal]

New question on my “new” heads.  They are lightly painted different colors. 

Q:  Does it matter?  Since a head is hardly visible with all the tin around it, it seems that it might only be important if heat transfer is in question.  The outsides (fins etc) of theese heads are lightly sprayed: one white, one silver.  Should I get some paint remover and clean them down to bare metal?  Or perhaps, spray them both black?  Silver? 

Parts are starting to arrive in the mail.  Lotsa fun. 

[edward ericson]

Matte black; use high heat paint made for manifolds.

[Royal]

So I got my new 85.5cc/1600 Mahle pistons and cylinders.  But, I noticed while cc-ing my “new” garage sale heads (they are almost exactly 50cc) that the shop that did the valve job had cut one of them so that it sits .040 lower on the barrel than the other head.  This would have caused a higher compression ratio on that lower side than the other.  I decided to order some .040 head spacers to put on that side only.   Apparently these are newly available parts and most places that I called said that you could not get them except for the bigger 92.5 and bigger jugs.  I found them at Appletree auto but they said that no one had ever ordered them for a stock 1600 engine.  (Guess I broke that record.)  Also ordered commonly available .020 barrel spacers to set the compression ratio at 7.4.  Now back to more cleaning while I wait for parts. 

[edward ericson]

This is very good attention to detail by you, Roy. The sort of thing I’d probably not even think to check. Good on ya. I think you’re going to have a nice engine.

[Royal]

So, I have the engine all back together except for the mascara, rouge, and eyelashes.  Today I ran it with the starter motor for about 10 minutes with the plugs out to prime the oil system and give it a very gentle first few turns.  I also took compression readings: they were all in the 130-135# range.  That seems a little high, no?  Should I worry?  My “through the numbers” mathematical compression ratio should be 7.8/1.  Any ideas or comments?  Done for the day.   No oil leaks. 

[Royal]

Turns out that 135# is an expected compression reading.  Found a major vacuum leak where 1/4 of the carb to intake manifold gasket was missing.  I hope to gain more control of engine idle speed (it wanted to idle high) and smoothness when I get it running.  So far, it has taken me much longer to clean, straighten, align and install all the tin work than I would have thought.  Gonna try and start her up tomorrow in the driveway and then if all goes well, plug the engine in to the TD body on Monday.  Wish me well. 

[edward ericson]

YEAH!!

Bet she settles right down with that vacuum leak taken care of.:-)

edsnova2012-02-25 20:18:55

[Royal]

Got her running in driveway.  Started right up.  Ran at 2000rpm for 20 minutes.  No abnormal noises or temperatures.  Oil temp only got to 135 degrees.  Oil pressure 38# at end of run.  Idles right down to 800rpm.  For the first time, the carburetor adjustment screws change things as predicted.   If all goes according to plan, in she goes tomorrow.  I took temperatures throughout and the only thing of interest was that the temp at #1 & #3 exhaust elbows close to the head were about 200 degrees lower than the temps at #2 & #4 elbows.  This is due to the cooling provided by the fresh air (heating air) through the heater boxes and cooling the 1&3 manifold.  I could not install the little preheaters on #2&4 because they interfere with the EMPI 4387 exhaust.  I have attached a picture of her running and if you hold your ear really close to the screen, you can hear it running.  No?  Hmmm.  

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