Need my head examined (beware monster pics)

[Killer2600]

Sorry I'm not a shrink or psychologist so I can't examine your head

[Dogma]

Sorry I'm not a shrink or psychologist so I can't examine your head

Criminy! It's about time someone took that bait!

[Dogma]

It's a been a long week and weekend. I'm taking a break this evening, even though I want to be out working on the bike. I'll start getting cranky soon if I keep going, and my wife doesn't need that.

I dropped my head and cylinders of at Pearson Racing on Saturday morning. We tried a couple “easy” ways to get that fitting out, but not even heat, oil, and an impact wrench would budge it in the slightest. On top of that, the 4mm of exposed threads were showing serious damage. It would need an insert anyway, so it would have to be machined out. Long story, the short form, he machined out the broken fitting, inserted the spark plug thread, drilled out the broken exhaust bolt and inserted that thread, ran a tap through all the others to clean them up, rigid honed my cylinders, and chatted with me for almost two hours answering questions, giving advice, and just generally talking bikes (especially drag bikes). Plus, he got it done so I could pick it up this afternoon, and at a price that makes me think he took pity on me or something. I asked about planing the head to make sure it was flat. He looked at the head for a minute and said he'd probably just be taking my money.

Josh, I think you're going to like this guy. He is indeed a one-man show, for the most part. He sometimes pays some kids to scrape gaskets and so on. His shop is a garage out back of his house. He has two knee mills and a lathe, two 20-ton presses for the cranks, a welder I didn't look at closely, a machine I had to stare at a while to figure out was a head flow tester, and parts: heads, cylinders, engines, etc. stacked all over the place. The only complete bike I saw there (that belonged to him) was a GS1000L. About a '79, I think, with a shortened rear fender, sane handlebars (superbike?), gixxer wheels and swinger, radial (rotary?) smoothbores and velocity stacks. He took it in on some kind of deal and did the wheels and swinger. He sounds like he's just toying with it, but I think it's his daily rider too. I asked about the velocity stacks, and he said he was still “chasing that in”. It looked like two big handfuls of fun. While we were yakking on Saturday morning, his buddy turns up for a visit and joins the conversation full of drag engine stories. I saw later he was riding a very pretty Katana, maybe late 80's. I think Mr. Pearson could give you some interesting ideas about Essie.

While we were BSing, I was learning tons, just from being saturated in race engine talk. I asked about some topics we've been discussing here. He reached into a drawer, found the valve he was looking for and slid it into several of my guides (I don't remember if he checked all of them). He pronounced them just fine for a street bike. He also theorized that excessive slop might wear the seals prematurely. When asked about the valve seats, he wasn't concerned with them either. Yes, they're wide, but they really only affect flow rates a bit. That, and valve clearances won't close up as fast. Generally, he gave my head a clean bill of health except for the damaged threads.

I saw a Cometic sticker on one of his benches and asked if he'd had any trouble with head gaskets from them or Vesrah. Just the one time. He put on a Cometic head gasket that immediately leaked like a sieve. He called Cometic, and they explained to him that the gaskets are no longer coated. So, he took it apart, coated it with the appropriate stuff, and it's been fine ever since. He's been using Cometic and Vesrah head gaskets, he just checks now to see if they're coated, and coats them if they're not. He rattled off three or four different things that could be used to coat head gaskets (the names of which I can't remember), but for a permanent installation in a daily rider he recommended using Suzuki 1207B sealer. Sort of like Yammabond, in that it could be used to fix or seal a huge variety of things due to it's toughness. Just rub it into the gasket and wipe off the excess before assembly. He uses other things on his 300 psi drag engines, because they allow for easy disassembly every few weeks.

Based on his recommendation, I think I'll be the guinea pig and try coating the Vesrah gasket that I have. We need to know if this works, so we can stop scouring the world to find and pay for OEM gaskets. I intend to do some, ah, intensive testing over the next couple weeks. If it fails in that time, I'll still have time before WV to get an OEM in it. If it fails at WV, I'll have AMA roadside assistance drag me to the nearest U-haul if I can't ride there. At least we'll know.

Tomorrow I'll do last minute acquisitions and get the rest of the base and head gaskets off.

Tuesday night I'll get the valves back in. Maybe more since that looks easy now.

Wednesday night install the cylinders and head, maybe start the cams. I'm pretty sure I can manage this single-handed. I might use both hands. Definitely use the ratchet strap to hold the cylinders up while getting the pistons in.

Thursday night is cams and timing, reassemble the rest of the bike.

Friday, spend all day riding around KY? Yeah, and maybe I'm a Chinese jet pilot. Still, that's my goal. Kentucky, not the jet pilot thing.

[RageZro]

Well??? Where does this project stand now Dale, is the head toast or a fixer?

If you have to hunt a head or whatever, are you thinking your going to have it ready by the 22nd?

Oh and if the fork seal is leaking to the point that there's a puddle on the floor you have to fix that before WV, no if's and's or but's!

[TheCafeKid]

Jimmy....Read above!

[RageZro]

I started to reply then got interrupted, guess Dale posted that while I was away from the keyboard.

[Dogma]

I hate it when that happens.

[Dogma]

Just an update for those concerned. After about 20 hours in the garage since Sat. afternoon, it's almost done. Carbs, airbox, exhaust, seat and tank. I should be able to get that done by bedtime tonight, and test ride / break-in tomorrow evening.

If 20 hours seems like a long time to install cylinder, head, and cams, it is. You see, I had to do the cylinders and head twice each. And it took long enough to do each the first time, because it was my first time ever. A lot of time spent figuring things out. Now that I've done it twice, I'm pretty good at it. I had pulled the dowels out of the cylinders to make room for base gasket scraping, and forgot to put them back in. Then I forgot to put in the cam chain tunnel o-ring. Criminy. I thought I was more methodical than that.

[TheCafeKid]

Just an update for those concerned. After about 20 hours in the garage since Sat. afternoon, it's almost done. Carbs, airbox, exhaust, seat and tank. I should be able to get that done by bedtime tonight, and test ride / break-in tomorrow evening.

If 20 hours seems like a long time to install cylinder, head, and cams, it is. You see, I had to do the cylinders and head twice each. And it took long enough to do each the first time, because it was my first time ever. A lot of time spent figuring things out. Now that I've done it twice, I'm pretty good at it. I had pulled the dowels out of the cylinders to make room for base gasket scraping, and forgot to put them back in. Then I forgot to put in the cam chain tunnel o-ring. Criminy. I thought I was more methodical than that.

Its A LOT to remember bro. Not bad time for having to do it twice really. The most important thing however, is that its done right, and not so much how long it took. Glad to hear its coming back together. Im in a crunch myself, Gotta figure out this rear brake or i dunno wtf ima do... Still need to get tires..crimeny...

[chef1366]

I did the dowel thing once.

[RageZro]

If 20 hours seems like a long time... because it was my first time ever. A lot of time spent figuring things out. Now that I've done it twice, I'm pretty good at it...Criminy. I thought I was more methodical than that.

Man, I feel sorry for poor Mrs. Dogma after reading that....

[Dogma]

Man, I feel sorry for poor Mrs. Dogma after reading that....

Heh. She left for vacation on Saturday. I started work within a couple hours of that. It's not my fault she gets a ridiculous amount of vacation and has to think up places to go. Unfortunately, that's an Ohio library job...

[RageZro]

(I meant your wedding night.....)

[chef1366]

(I meant your wedding night.....)

Ding Ding!

[Dogma]

(I meant your wedding night.....)

Ah. Well, we haven't had as much practice with those as some people around here, Jim.