Using a Table Saw to Resurface a Cylinder Head

With a little elbow grease and sandpaper you too can flatten and resurface a cylinder head at home.

I just realized how many 3M products I'm using here. I promise you that was a coincidence. This is in no way an endorsement and I'm certainly not getting paid to mention any brand. Although I definitely wouldn't mind some free stuff...hint hint, 3M marketing peeps...

[megafleak]

Was anyone else expecting him to use the saw blade to machine the face with the head laying on its side ?

[adeanthony]

As someone who actually worked in motorsport for ten years I can a) confirm that this works fine as long as the surface is flat and b) even some race heads are prepped this way if being reused after a rebuild, done on an actual surface table and with some skill this will actually yield a flatter surface than many machining processes

[tonyrmathis]

I have a headstone I bought for $20 from a memorial company that someone ordered but never picked up. Me and William Martin (name on the stone) have surfaced a lot of stuff. It works really great on the top of diesel engine blocks the weight giving it just enough pressure.

[FFLFFS]

Far from stupid. 👍👍I overheated and warped the head on an engine driving cross continent. Being in the middle of the prairies with camping gear, basic tools and little cash, I used a big file to file out the warpage. The old gasket didn’t sustain any damage so I torqued every thing back down. Drove out the next day. That engine repair lasted till I sold the car. About 50, 000 miles!

[Ervdawg]

!!! a LONG time ago, I bought a piece of glass from my local glass guy for $18 that was 11" x 36" x 1" thick that milled more heads and blocks than you can imagine!!! Great vid!!

[timlad]

I did this on my kitchen table 16 years ago for the cylinder head on my Arctic Cat Wildcat 700. It works like a charm.

[ihatejoze]

I was told to use a piece of glass and to move the part in a figure 8 motion to prevent sanding one side too much

[Falney]

I saw the title and got excited that I was going to see a Darwin award in the making.

I want a refund xD

[amrosla]

For the amount of work that goes through replacing head gaskets, I feel more confident taking the head to a machine shop and having the heads machined . I won’t reuse head bolts either. I helped a friend that wanted to save a few bucks. He tried this process and reused the stretched head bolts, ... a few weeks later he had the same mess!!! If this works for you guys I’m truly happy!!! I just hate redoing things!!!

[RaRob]

You can feel a thousands of an inch, but you cant find the end of the sticky tape!!!!

[davidhutchison]

British bikers in the 50s use to do this to their engine cases, as they always leaked oil. As the cases were alloy, they used a sheet of glass, and valve lapping compound to get the case edges perfectly flat.

[davidevans]

It ain't rocket science, and I've been doing this kind of stuff my entire life. Great job! The engine's for an everyday drive not an indy race car. Keep on keepin' on.

[monticella]

I use a large piece of polished granite left over from a kitchen table top and crocus. I sharpen a wood chipper blade with a belt sander (220 grit) turned upside down and clamped onto a work mate. Nothing is "stupid" when you give it your best shot!

[spudth]

When I worked in a machine shop we called this technique "floating". We'd use a figure 8 motion. Obviously it would be difficult for you on a large object. Also, we had a straight edge to check it and stay on track. Its not as much about shiny surfaces as it is about flat.

[Geoff_G]

I used to work in an engine rebuilding shop (Vulcan Automotive, Vancouver BC) and we straightened warped aluminum cylinder heads this way:

1) bolt head to a 1" thick steel plate at least 1" wider and longer than the head casting.
2) tighten to torque specs.
3) place it in a BBQ.
4) use a full 20# tank,
5) light the BBQ and put all burners on high temp. (not the rotisserie burner if fitted)
6) leave it cooking for 12-16 hours or until propane runs out.
7) allow to cool to room temp.
8) check for straightness with a straight edge and feeler gauges. Should be no more than .003" out in any direction.
9) sand smooth like you show in the video. Again, should be no more than .003" out in any direction.
10) admire your work and congratulate yourself on saving a "ruined" cylinder head.

[TheSqeeek]

I was a huge fan of this method until I found out my local machine shop will do it for like $35 and get it perfect every time

[gasaxe]

The wife's marble counter top works good for me.

[DaHammondator]

I learned this trick a long time ago from an old motorcycle mechanic, I've done this to countless dirtbikes and streetbikes. Thanks for sharing!

[dannywilsher]

I would have turned the head 180 degrees from time to time... Maybe if the table was a bit warped, it would even it out...

[gsm]

My High School shop teacher taught us this trick 31 years ago. He also used a straight edge and feeler gauges to see how warped the head was. He was a pretty smart. This was one of our class projects we we're graded on in auto shop.