Engine build day 3

I didn't have much time today to really get stuck in, but I did get the chance to overhaul one cylinder head.

Basically, I cleaned it up, checked the valve seats and they all looked pretty good, so I decided to lap in the new valves to match the valve to the seat. It didn't take much and I used a fine grade paste along with a small suction cup on the valve. The suction cup was attached to a shaft of wood which let me spin the valve in the seat, with the grinding paste attached.

After about 20-30 seconds of lapping, the valves and seat had a nice flush, grey colour that was even the whole way round.

Make sure you put some oil on the valve stem and don't let the paste get down the shaft of the valve.

Also, give the heads a really good clean as the grinding paste will be pretty deadly on a new engines bearings! Again, cleaning is the key to success!

The pic below shows the head before lapping.

 The picture below shows the valves after lapping, with a grey circle around where the valve has touched the seat.

 The next picture shows new valves before lapping. In great condition with a shiny band where they contact the seat in the head.