Re: What's the best way to clean up valve seats & a couple other questions
To answer you initial question about cleaning-up the valves & seats:
1 ) remove carbon deposits with a wire wheel (protect water passages, distributor drive hole, and cylinder bores from debris.
2 ) inspect valves and seats. any pitting or grooving in either face indicates the valve pair needs to be re-faced.
3 ) Inspect the edge of the valve head: it should have a flat edge perpendicular to the top of the valve head ( or parallel to the stem ): this is called the "margin". If there is no margin, and the valve is worn to a sharp edge, the valve needs to be replaced.
4 ) If the valve seats need to be refaced, best to either find a shop or knowledgeable enthusiast who has a machine to reface the seats with the engine in the car. Otherwise, you would have to pull the the engine, etc.
5) OR, you could take a page out of the "Grapes of Wrath", and "grind the valves" your self: get some valve grinding compound and one of those hand-drill type grinding gizmoes ( I believe Sears and Lisle still sell them ), and grind the valves by hand, until the seats clean-up. Technically, this is known as "lapping the valves" to a finish fit after machine facing. It's a slow way to go.
Now, the other responders have suggested that there are other issues that should be investigated, so I'm not saying you SHOULD try "grinding the valves" and driving on, but after thorough examination of the other factors, if it makes sense for you to clean-up the valves and drive on through this season, then tear-down for next winter, well, there you are.
Let us know how things progress. What's the known history of this engine ?
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