purf said:

very good sir - now what are you going to fit it to???

Click to expand...

This...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131260460249?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1426.l2649

...or if I get outbid this...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181489462886?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

I won the £140 head for £60.99 unless the seller backs out I should be able to get a gasket set, stretch bolts and new manifold nuts and lugs for the original price.

Paypal'd now and an estimated delivery next Tuesday.

For repairing aluminium I recommend Lumiweld
http://www.lb-restoration.co.uk/cgi...id=1408380761.17947&product=MOTORBIKE&pid=213
For thread repairs I've used Recoil thread inserts in the past with good results
http://www.lawson-his.co.uk/recoil-37108-replaces-37100-m10-x-125-med-p44106

Thanks for those. I have some cast Aluminium welding rods that I mostly use as TIG sticks but the quality of the thermostat housing in general is pretty typical 70's (crap) metalwork.

I've used quick fix coil spring threads before but ended up having to redo the job a few weeks or a couple of months at best later.

Once the old head is off I'm planing to drill out the holes completely, fill with cast weld, re-drill and re-tap new holes. Port and polish the head before selling it on.

Always useful to have a spare head...

I like watching this vid when things go bad. How To: Extract Broken off Bolt EVERYTIME!!!: [ame]http://youtu.be/bSOg7aQ44eg[/ame]

I haven't tried it yet but I just sapped a cam housing bolt on mine !!!!

Was using a torque wrench and I let the setting slip... x1/9 haynes says 15ftlb and tipo porter manual says 24???

Oh well, if I get an oil leak I will know why.

That's all well and good if you have a clamp on pillar drill like the one in the clip. Use a hand drill and...



...you'll need to superglue your finger back together.

This...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PLUNGE-PO...Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item540ae86f18

...looks like it could be a bargain.

Nice, would you recommend superglue then? Beats a 4+ hr wait in NHS emergency waiting room...

I also saw this vid the other day. The drill guide. Needs to be fabricated specially though...

+ TIME-SERT + head bolt thread repair www.timese…: [ame]http://youtu.be/Itxflsaw-QE[/ame]

Any remedial work going on while the X is idle?

Get those headlights ready for winter! I haven't driven mine since june... after using it almost every day from Nov

It was a weird "Y" shape so I used glue as I couldn't stitch it myself.

The glue works well but you need to keep an eye on it because you're basically putting a cap on the wound and some fluid that needs to escape can't.

The new/old head arrived today and looks to be just fine. I'll pop the valves out and get polishing next night shift.

My new/old head arrived yesterday and this afternoon I attacked it with some 1000 wet&dry and some WD40 (never ever use soapy water for this as it can screw up your valve seals.



Turns out the low mileage 1984 car had a 1978 head...



...but it does have unleaded valves.

Those are coming out so I can clean/polish the ports during my night shift.

Gasket set and new bolts are on their way. She should be back on the road by the weekend! :worship:

I am feeling pretty pleased with myself right now.

I cleaned the ports two at a time and cleaned the valves with a pillar drill, WD40 and wet&dry sand paper. The exhaust ports were two or three millimeters deep with crud and the inlets weren't much better. I cleaned the crap out and cut the ports back to the point there were no more pours for crud to stick to. I didn't go mental with the polishing as I'll be running a standard carb' it'd be wasteful. A little better than when the head was new maybe.

I won't bore you with last nights activity too much apart from...

Before...



...After.

Driveway CSI today is one I've been looking forward to dreading.

I've taken the cylinder head of my poor bodged X1/9.

When the head gasket was changed it's fair to say it was the only new gasket. All of the others including the exhaust manifold gasket were old ones with a smear of silicone for good measure. There was also silicone between number two and three cylinders where the head gasket was nipped and bent. I'm annoyed that the previous owner paid nearly £800 for the job when it was done but relieved that I discovered it how I have and not via catastrophic engine failure.

One, two and three had NGK "V" plugs and four had a Champion racing plug. That goes a long way to explaining the rough idle and will be remedied when I put the old girl back together.

I'll take all the bits to work tonight and borrow their parts washer.

The head gasket set hasn't arrived yet.

So here are a few photo's from yesterday...













...more silicone than Comicon.



The mystery of the lumpy idle solved.

The block face looks okay...



...now I've swept what appeared to be grinding paste from the surface.

Considering these bodgers wouldn't spend £1.55 on a thermostat housing gasket...



...why was I even remotely surprised to find they hadn't spend £4 on an exhaust manifold to downpipe one?

I really must add my own parts washer to my shopping list when I get my new Garage/Shed.



Cleaned the piston tops, block face and gave the pistons a bit of a wobble to make sure the rings are all good.



As the gasket set didn't turn up and there's rain forecast tomorrow I've got the gazebo out.



I should add a shed/garage to my list of stuff I need to get.

Bright Sunny morning.

By the time the Post gets here that'll change.

Lucky the gazebo has sides.

The Post arrived. The head gasket set didn't. :bang:

Post arrived. Head gasket set didn't!

:bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang:

I should have paid three times as much and bought local.