engine and drivetrain Tii Head Gasket Questions And Ct Shop Recommendation

[williamtii]

Hey everyone,

 

Does anyone have a good shop recommendation near Danbury CT to have a head checked?

 

It's been almost a year since the headgasket blew on my '73tii. Cylinders 3&4 are dead, no oil in water or vice versa so It looks like it just breached between 3&4. Still runs on 2 Cylinders. I never had any trouble with overheating.

 

I'll be heading home for 1 week only to do the job, so I need to have everything in order to complete the job. I have all the tools and manuals to get it done. I have done headgaskets before on e30's and wolwos but being my favorite car, the tii scares the beejesus out of me.

 

From what I have read the Victor Reinz kit will do just fine but I am better off with an OE gasket. Realoem.com has 2 listed, one for $210 and one for $110. Is one a cutting ring and one not? I have read conflicting reports that tii's use a cutting ring gasket but I would rather not to preserve precious aluminums.

 

Any other advice? I'm planning on new head bolts, studs, and anything the faq recommends. I used to have a great write-up with big pictures but it was lost in the computer crash of 2012.

 

Thanks for any help and suggestions!

 

-Will

 

 

 

[jrkoupe]

Will...

 

 

I live like 20 min from Danbury , and can give u some names....no prob.

 

 

message me.......or          whatever.......

[Hans]

Cutting ring does just that - makes a groove on the head. Great for high compression motor, but not so good if you have to re-use the head. Overkill for a street motor, me thinks. I've used Reinz gaskets - I think they supplied OEM.

[Preyupy]

If it had a cutter ring you need to surface the head.  Don't put one back in it!

[Mike Self]

Unlikely that you need new head bolts unless the current ones are rusted or otherwise damaged.  They're "use over" bolts, not the type used on later BMWs that need to be "angle torqued."

 

Pretty straightforward job--if you don't know when the head was worked on, you should consider grinding the valves, checking the valve guides for wear and installing the late style stem seals--this particularly if you have smoke on the overrun.  

 

A trick I learned to keep the cam chain in tension while the head is off--set the engine at TDC, then unbolt the chain sproket from the cam, hook a bungee cord through the center of the sprocket and hook the other end to the top of the hood.  Prop the hood open with a broomstick so it doesn't accidentally fall, and then take a piece of twine or soft copper wire and wrap it around the chain  just below the sprocket just in case the hood falls or the bungee cord comes loose.  

 

And if you must have the head resurfaced, make sure the shop attaches the upper chain cover to the head and surface it at the same time; otherwise you'll have a leak at the joint between cover and block.  

 

cheers

mike

[williamtii]

Wow YES on the timing cover resurface. That kind kind of job ruining oversight is right up my alley. Thanks Mike!

[williamtii]

I suppose I should plan on having the head reworked rather than hope it checks out. No smoke on Decel yet but I dont think the head has been off since the motor was replaced in 1988.

 

From what I have read the rocker arms and shaft are not reusable. Is this correct? Sorry for the stupid questions but my books are with the car 1100 miles away.

 

If that is the case I'll order everything from Ireland and get the HD rockers.

 

Great stuff so far! The $$$ are adding up so something must be going right. 

[Preyupy]

Unless they are worn there is no reason to replace the Rockers and shafts unless you are changing camshafts (I don't like using old rockers on new cams) 

[Henryn02]

I used Danbury competition engine (on Taylor Street), and they were familiar with the M10 engine. Old school type of place.  

 

Henry

 

 

[Hans]

Somebody familiar with M10 heads can check arms and shafts - they can be recycled if not worn.