The Ford Barn

Bored&Stroked · 03-22-2025, 08:58 AM

They will obviously need to be surfaced. I don't believe you'll have any water jacket issues as the erosion isn't bad enough to get past the head gasket. I could have the chambers re-domed as these have had a lot of corrosion. When you get them re-domed, make sure the pistons you're going to run have the same shape as the doming tool.

Depending on the cam, you may need to rework the TOPs of the valve pockets (remember, the valves are canted - that is the place they will hit if you have a clearance issue).

If it was my engine, I'd get the heads done first, then have your block work done (decks, etc) - such that you can put a crank, rod and pin in it to determine the compression height you'll need. Make sure the new domes are a consistent radius profile - then you can work with Ross to set the pin location to get the correct squish (obviously taking into account the gasket thickness of whatever head gaskets you'll run). I prefer to calculate with a .050 to .052 head gasket . . . even if running Cometic gaskets as if you ever need to replace a head gasket and don't have a Cometic one handy, you can put in a Felpro, Best, etc.. It is good to have flexibility for the future.

I believe Andy at Kohler Kustom can re-dome your head - you might check with him and also see if he can resurface them with a fine RA finish (50 or less they quote, but I'd be looking for 40 or better).

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03-22-2025, 08:58 AM	#10
Bored&Stroked Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Central Ohio Posts: 5,723	Re: Used Aftermarket Aluminum heads. They will obviously need to be surfaced. I don't believe you'll have any water jacket issues as the erosion isn't bad enough to get past the head gasket. I could have the chambers re-domed as these have had a lot of corrosion. When you get them re-domed, make sure the pistons you're going to run have the same shape as the doming tool. Depending on the cam, you may need to rework the TOPs of the valve pockets (remember, the valves are canted - that is the place they will hit if you have a clearance issue). If it was my engine, I'd get the heads done first, then have your block work done (decks, etc) - such that you can put a crank, rod and pin in it to determine the compression height you'll need. Make sure the new domes are a consistent radius profile - then you can work with Ross to set the pin location to get the correct squish (obviously taking into account the gasket thickness of whatever head gaskets you'll run). I prefer to calculate with a .050 to .052 head gasket . . . even if running Cometic gaskets as if you ever need to replace a head gasket and don't have a Cometic one handy, you can put in a Felpro, Best, etc.. It is good to have flexibility for the future. I believe Andy at Kohler Kustom can re-dome your head - you might check with him and also see if he can resurface them with a fine RA finish (50 or less they quote, but I'd be looking for 40 or better). [email protected] Last edited by Bored&Stroked; 03-22-2025 at 09:09 AM.