7afte head replacement Options

[FunkySR]

Hey all.

as you know I have a 7afte but I need to replace my head due to crap threads for the manifold bolts to grab onto.

I have no immediate plans for engine or forged work so should i

1. buy a reconditioned, skimmed, ported and polished and valved head.
2. just rip a head off a working 7a from the junk yard and carry on as usual.

Cheers.

J

[hurley97]

Just buy one from a junkyard and send it to be cleaned and skimmed. That will be easier and cheaper and work just fine, especially if its not about power and you are happy with the power you are making. You aren't going to gain a whole lot in porting and polishing the 7A head. I looked into pricing on having that done and it was way more than it would have been worth, so I did it myself on the first head I had on the rebuilt motor.

Have you made a bracket to support the turbo and manifold? I had the same problem with the threads in my head until I had a bracket made. I do have my old 7A head in the basement but it needs to be resurfaced, I replaced it because it was warped on the bottom and the headgasket was leaking (less down time in having one ready and just swapping over).

You can also retap the thread and put bigger or longer studs. Sometimes when the manifold threads strip they only mess up part of it on the way out so if you put in a longer stud it will grab into the good threads that are left further back. One of my studs has a longer one and one I had to go with a bigger stud. I did start stripping out another one but its not in a crucial spot so I just left it for now. My manifold also had a spot for a stud that was not on the head so I drilled a hole, tapped it, and put in an extra stud.

This post has been edited by hurley97: Nov 26, 2009 - 7:55 PM