Another head bites the dust. (Is this repairable?)

I don't want to get into the how or why right now, since i'm a bit irate over the whole thing. I know exactly what happened, but that doesn't change my options going forward.

The piece making the smiley face that's mocking me out of my intake valves came from the area to the left. You can see where it was broken off where the oil passage is.

Machine shop says they should be able to weld the piece back on with no problems. The concern are:
1) Cost.
2) After welding, we'll have to put the head on the vertical mill to have the line bore re-done, as the journal to the left will be warped slightly from heat/welding onto some seriously E36 M3ty porous and light aluminum material. This concerns me as i don't know if we'll be able to line bore the head further than it is already and still keep happy cam tolerances. How does this work?

Someone please tell me this can be repaired and it's not going to cost me a liver. I don't really want to find and sacrifice a 3rd berkeleying head to this berkeleying car after two already dying through no fault of my own.

That freak in sucks man!!! If I can help finding a good core, just give me a yell.

dansxr2 wrote: That freak in sucks man!!! If I can help finding a good core, just give me a yell.

You're telling me... Somehow i went from having two good heads to none. Not to mention the carnage of the Escort 14 months ago.

Getting another one isn't going to be a huge issue, just more money. Appreciate it, though.

Anytime man!

I think I may have answered my own question.

Will know more in the coming days as the shop installs the valvetrain.

Its kind of hard to tell from the pic, but is that piece in acutual contact with the cam? As in, is that a critical piece that HAS to be there?

This^

It looks like it might be there to keep the cam from walking around.

Is there a way to machine a space in the front of that journal to capture a torrington bearing between what I'm assuming would be a flange on the cam and the front of the head?

Shawn

Looks like someone dropped the head on its end with the cam installed or they didn't install the cam caps evenly causing that piece to break off.

Sucks man, it pays to make sure that people don't man-handle your critical parts.

Piece needs to be there, it's the only thing locating the cam. It's welded on now. Just have to cut the top flat then spend a bit spinning the cam with some valve lapping compound and it should be fine.

I dont know why but this thread is giving me serious deja vu.

You and me both haha.

Everything here is way beyond my capabilities but I know when something sucks. I feel for you though and hope it all works out.

Vigo wrote: I dont know why but this thread is giving me serious deja vu.

Block #3 for my endless VW project after I discovered that block #2 had a huge crack in the deck, apparently from someone not clearing a blind head bolt hole out before reefing a bolt into it.

Also head #4, and chassis #2. I literally can build an extra car out of all of the parts I've purchased for this thing.

This is head number 3 going on block 2, turbo 3, entire front end number 3.

Sometimes I wonder why i bother.

Vigo was referring to a nearly identical thread I made in November concerning head #2.

Is this for the MX-6? Man, that sucks...

I'm beginning to think that this particular mx6 is angry with you and causing all of this bad luck to happen. You've already done many, many dasdardly things to it and it wants no more of it!!!

I don't care what the car wants. It will bend to my will.

There is no spoon (MX6).

I punished it anyways, even though it wasn't its fault. This time.

You berkeleyed up the head and it came to that?

I'm beginning to feel better about hoarding two good Neon DOHC heads...

N Sperlo wrote: You berkeleyed up the head and it came to that?

I didn't berkeley up anything, but i did tear the car apart.