i have some antifreeze in my oil after a bad radiator and slight over heating incident, so i think i need a gasket and im not the kind of guy to do things twice.. so im wondering where in canada, preferably eastern canada can send my head for machining? i am ordering arp head studs today and a cummins gasket..

if i dont go with the o rings, how much timing and boost can i safely run without worring about it? i was holding off on doing the timing untill after i studded it anyway, and had a chub on for some compounds

 

Passenger Industries is who does heads for a lot of us Alberta guys. He's in BC though, which is not exactly local to you. I'd look at some of the bigger shops in the American Mid-West, be much closer. Not sure how much the international shipping is going to cost you. I was quoted $700 to ship a head to Oregon a few years ago. Obviously, thats not the way I went.

 

Thanks for the info tate, i decided not to go with the o orings after i realized how expensive it was going to be to ship the head, not to mention the down time.. but i did call Passenger diesel for head studs and they were back ordered like almost everyone else, but they were kind enough to send me to another shop in canada that had them in stock and were actually priced very reasonably.. so i ordered them and a set of valve springs so hopefully next week i can put it back together..

i had the head checked for cracks and warpage to try and figure out how the coolant was getting in the oil, no cracks but the head is out .009 in the center.. i also noticed the head bolts were not very tight, i basically just loosened them off with one hand so i am glad i ordered the studs..

the guy planing my head figures he will have to shave .012 at least to get it strait, should i order a .010 thicker gasket to compensate for the injectors or is planing .012 even going to make a difference.

 

Valve depth would be a concern, but .012" shouldn't cause any contact. Injector depth is fine, you can always run thicker seals on them to compensate. Most performance injectors call for the thinnest seals anyway. Go with a standard head gasket. If you go thicker, you'll lose compression, and that doesn't help anything.

 

awesome, I will order it today from cummins. Thanks for the fast reply

 

the engine machine shop called.. when he was getting the head ready for the planer he noticed a crack on the top of the head, under a valve cover.. i am not sure exactly where yet, but is this common

 

when you guys are installing a head do you do it turbo and manifold on or off? im almost ready to put the new head on, just waiting on the springs and studs to arrive

 

Don't have anything attached to the head, it'll make it awkward to handle, more so. I just left the turbo and manifold bolted together, supported by the drain and exhaust. Then you just use a pry bar to align it to the bolt holes, and thread the bolts in. Less disassembly required.

 

ok, thanks.. i have the turbo and manifold off now, i took them out with the head but i can half *** set them back in tomorow so thats one less thing to hook up when the studs arrive..

 

I have the studs in. The ARP instructions say no re-torqing needed with this new lube. Would you retorque anyway after I drive it for a bit or should it be good? I don't want to put another gasket in so I'll do what it takes. I did notice that the headbolts were way easier to remove than they should have been so they were definitely stretched a bit

 

Retorquing is a good idea, as the headgasket will crush a bit more after a few heat cycles. This is more prevalent with o-rings. I've only retorqued my studs twice on my 12v. Its still running fine.

 

ok, thanks.. i think my timing jumped a little bit and its been this way for while now.. the engine seems quieter, and i can only get 32psi boost before and after the studs/gasket.. it used to hit 42psi no problem and it seemed to pull a bit harder and made a little more racket.. now that i have the studs, what should i set the timing at? i was going to set it at 17* before the studs, but now that it should handle more should i give it more?