How To Resurface Cylinder Heads

This is not something you do in your garage at home. As you can see in the video, to do this 'properly', you need specialized equipment like the machine you see in this video.

Since not many people get to see this process in action, I decided to make this video while I was at Kalvinator Engines having my engine built, #DarkMatterPikachu.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making this video.

Thanks to Justin Frische for his help in this video.

Camera: Brian Kast

Thanks for watching!

Engine Details

Displacement: 363cid

Compression: 8.9:1

Modified: Edelbrock Performer RPM intake

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ETCG

Due to factors beyond the control of EricTheCarGuy, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information.  EricTheCarGuy assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. EricTheCarGuy recommends safe practices when working with power tools, automotive lifts, lifting tools, jack stands, electrical equipment, blunt instruments, chemicals, lubricants, or any other tools or equipment seen or implied in this video.  Due to factors beyond the control of EricTheCarGuy, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result.  Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not EricTheCarGuy.

[HAL-dmeh]

My dad taught me everything there is to know about gasoline engines when I was around 14, using an old Ford 289 V8 as demonstration. The one thing he couldn't show me was all this machine work. After 30 years I always wondered what this was like now you're finally showing me first hand. Thanks a bunch!

[billstevenson]

The true value of a professional automotive machine shop and machinest can never be over stated! This is almost a dying art, we need to be training more young people to learn this valuable trade. This has been a great set of videos, Eric. Thanks for showing the goings on in a true machine shop. Maybe it will spark interest in one or more of you viewers to take up a career in this trade.

[christophersipes]

Going through my Apprenticeship at the Shipyard I work at, I had to take a class on machining and was fascinated with how milling machines and the like worked. Completely amazing that the little blade will cut through all of that material so precisely.

[AdrianHiggins]

Justin nice head job, Eric is very satisfied. have to see this out ...

[coryboggs]

Went to college with Frische, awesome dude! Glad to hear ETCG has heard of Kalvinator Engines

[stevooliver]

Funny some heads have a warp that matches the block..i would clean off block & head & set the head it back down on the block then take a feeler gauge to see if it fits like a puzzle..dont see to many blocks getting machined but aluminum can warp once pressure is released.. might be straight right when you take it off but let it set on a table overnight during the winter it may not be straight by morning..i played with some TTY bolts torquing them to certain torque then extra 1/4 turn then measure the length before & after results leaving me scratching my head ..the bolts all range from a 0- 1/16 of inch..so if we are worried about paper thin gap to start with wouldn't a bolt that is stretching more cause the warp..only thing I could do is to retorque but to do this there had to be a final torque value at the 1/4 turn..so I use a old dial torque wrench to see what each value would be at the 95 degree turn..2 bolts were off by 10 pounds under..those turn a extra 1/8 to get the same ..to.many variables friction even with chasing each hole & using a light lube..some go into water jackets so sealer can slow it down.. i got a headache ...lol later

[clapton]

CBN = cubic boron nitride. It's slightly softer than diamond.

[NHRA]

Cool tool, my friend had one at his shop, , we used it on some of my engine stuff as well as my 3.4 GM head when I changed head gaskets..he recommended to resurface the head even if it didn't overheat..

[omorin]

I still do this old school style. Couple pieces of 80 /120 grit glued to a sheet of melamine. It takes a while but it works. Still waaaay faster than taking it to the machine shop.

[acat]

Just searched for a short video to take a look what to expect from this channel and I really like it! Definitely going to watch more in the future :)

[evilcowboy]

Not saying it is wrong to take it to a machine shop and the guy seemed very nice at the machine shop, I would worry a bit if the person did not use dye and a light to look for cracks in the heads, measure across the head all 9 points of measurement. Did the guy verify the heads were actually warped?

Second it is a common misconception that a person cannot lap a head by hand at home to not only level it but fit it perfectly. They simply refuse to believe it is possible. However, the example I use generally squashes that argument. Jean Bugatti literally lapped both the block and the head by hand on every engine he built. The surface was so flat and perfect that the need for a head gasket was not required and so the engines he built flat out have no head gaskets.

Now how to do it at home. Glass is an absolute flat surface by nature (if anyone does not believe this put a straight edge on any glass top table and try to squeeze a .0015 feeler gauge between the two) glue sand paper to it and lap away and is better done with water to help lubricate the paper so your head does not stick. Do not go any higher than 800 grit so your new gasket has something to bite (the only reason you'd still need the gasket and can't do what Bugatti did is most people will not hand lap their block so even though the head is as flat as can be the block is not). this is also why Bugatti only turned out around 15 cars per year. So if an engineer with the credentials like Jean Bugatti says it is ok to do then it is fine to listen to him.

Sure a machine shop is faster but for the people who still want full control over every aspect of their engine build or just simply does not have the money to take it to a machine shop this is an excellent alternative.

This method I have tried on a head the engine was still running even after the body of the car rotted away. I also use this method to deck the top of a 1911 frame and everyone who sees the gun always asks how I got such a flat top and the fit between the slide and the frame so perfect. It was so perfect that when the gun was viewed from the rear of it you could not tell where the frame ended and the slide began it all looked like a single piece of metal.

[KornKorn-nl]

When you flatten head and block, will it be as new no strange sound of the motor.
I’m asking since it will be shorter where the cylinder’s move.
My mechanic is doing this to my motor and i want new cylinders in and everything.
Is it better to find a used motor and hope for the best or is it better to flatten the motor and change cylinders and rings. Motor was burning oil and i had a misfire in cylinder 3 there was no compression in that cylinder.

[ToxicMisfitsYt]

did you sand the sharp edges off of the combustion chambers after the resurfacing?

[skpro_jects]

Maybe in the US it's different and machine shops are still a reputable and honest place to go to without paying for an arm and a leg, but where I'm from not only are machine shops very rare, they are most always old, dodgy, run by questionable people who rarely use proper measuring tools and preparation procedures. I would never send my engine parts to a machine shop. It also costs a lot more than it's worth.

I'm currently rebuilding my engine and I'm doing it all by hand. I am willing to learn but also on a budget. I've had bad experience with other shops before.

As the saying goes; "want something done right? Gotta do it yourself".

[BillSikes.]

There's very few of these kind of workshops left in the UK, its become a throw away culture, which i think is a great shame, however its good to see its still alive and well in the US.
Great video 👍

[speedybarron]

How do you pull out a motor for from a Firebird 96 it's got at 3800 through the top through the bottom

[stevemasterson]

this would bump up compression as well right? unless you use a thicker gasket to take up the cut off space?

[NGinuity]

....you can do it in your garage if you have a big knee mill in there :-)

CBN cutters in this context are actually just special fly cutters with round CBN inserts. CBN is "Cubic Boron Nitride" and is the second hardest material known to man next to synthetic diamond, but you can get CBN inserts in a variety of shapes. The round just happens to work best for flat resurfacing on a dedicated machine. They're pretty pricey though. I haven't seen "low quality" CBN for less than 75 bucks (non-auction/special circumstance price, that is)

[emiljack]

Hey Eric I did over my head on my Honda crv 1997 because it over heated, Shaved it used a new head gasket. But the pure oil is coming out of the radiator. When the engine is running, Its a milky colour.

[tango_oscar]

I've been thinking about getting this done on my car (which is a model know for head gasket issues) as a preventative measure.