Aluminum head help

[IU_undergrad]

ok well i bought my Iroc R/t about a year ago and the guy i bought it from was the second owner and he had had the head repaired/ welded when i first bought it and about three weeks ago i took it in to get it checked out due to an oil leak and they have now found 2 cracks in the head and they are fixing it but i was wondering if anyone has any ideas how to prevent further head damage or is this just a reoccurring problem that i will have to deal with..... any tips replacements or anything would be much appreciated.... i'm looking to get a new radiator to help keep the engine cooler...plz help

[lotashelbys]

Ok,what head do you have the original Lotus casting or the Dunn re-cast(warranty) head? What plugs steel or alum and how are they installed now? Where is it welded now and where is it cracked now? Can you post a few pics of the areas? With a little more info I bet I can help

[mopar2ya]

Dont over torque the plugs if you are reinstalling them. Ive never experienced a crack and I have steel plugs that have mostt of the threads showing. Many install aluminum plugs and weld them in. I send all the crack repairs to Absolute Auto Machine in Topeka, KS he's got these things down to a science plus he does a kick butt valve job.

[IU_undergrad]

well they called today and told me that they are having trouble with one of the cracks.... where do i buy this dunn re-cast head at?

[xtrempickup]

hahahahaha good luck, best way to get a spare head is ebay, one of the boards or buy a parts car with good head. i hope you didnt have an inexperienced place that never did one try to fix it.

[lotashelbys]

The Dunn heads were only available from like 93-96 and were mostly warrany claims. They are actually not as good as the original casting and alot of them were cracked when they were pulled out of the box. They used a 3/4 pipe thread and over-tightened the plugs in them. If for some reason you cant get it welded up do like what Wallace said and send it to his guy or I have a guy that is good with them as well. The trick we do is pre-heat the head to like 250 degrees and them weld it and put it in vermiculite(sp?) so it cools slow and dont warp as bad. I would suggest not to weld the plugs in as I have had problems getting all the pinholes to not leak afterwards. Send me a PM if you cant get it

[mopar2ya]

Call Steve at Absolute Auto Machine 785 266-5831, he can fix it.

[movaldes]

I can't believe it but there are a few people who have NEW cylinder heads for sale. Just don't expect them to be cheap...

[xtrempickup]

just so you know, a new cylinder head can crack within 30K miles just like a factory one with 78K or one with a lot more. a welded one that is done properly probably wont ever crack again. food for thought

[lotashelbys]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xtrempickup just so you know, a new cylinder head can crack within 30K miles just like a factory one with 78K or one with a lot more. a welded one that is done properly probably wont ever crack again. food for thought

Exactly,like I said earlier the Dunn heads have been know to be cracked with 0 MILES ON THEM!!! Get the head welded correctly and the plugs installed correctly and dont ever get the motor extremely hot again and you should be good to go for like ever

[movaldes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xtrempickup just so you know, a new cylinder head can crack within 30K miles just like a factory one with 78K or one with a lot more. a welded one that is done properly probably wont ever crack again. food for thought

Yep, I thought the same thing.
Spending alot of money on a new head that will probably crack again in the future is just not feasible. That is money better spent on repairing my own and building it up right...

Moe

[IU_undergrad]

it has the orig. lotus head but i just got some bad news today from the shop... the head is done for and can't be fixed..... so i guess i'm screwed, if anyone can point me in the right direction please help me out.... i should have found out what i was getting myself into buying this car....

[Screamin4banger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IU_undergrad it has the orig. lotus head but i just got some bad news today from the shop... the head is done for and can't be fixed..... so i guess i'm screwed, if anyone can point me in the right direction please help me out....

Have you been reading the same thread I have (this one)? Everyone here is saying: "Screw your shop, send it to an expert!!". - And I agree. Why get all weepy and go get another ($$$) head just to have the same problems with your shop? Send it to a T-III expert to get a second opinion.

Food for thought: I have an 8v head at the shop right now. He's not a TD expert, but he is a competent machinist. When I pull the motor out of my RT he will never even lay eyes on my Lotus head (nothing against him) I will be sending it straight to an expert.

[IU_undergrad]

well where is the nearest TIII expert to northern Indiana? i'm kind of stuck right now my car is appart at a shop in goshen Indiana

[Screamin4banger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IU_undergrad well where is the nearest TIII expert to northern Indiana? i'm kind of stuck right now my car is appart at a shop in goshen Indiana

Try the UPS Store or FedEx Kinko's

I know, smart-ass answer, I'm sorry. But the point is, its not like your gonna go to autozone and buy a head. So that cars gonna be sitting for a while, either at that shop or in your driveway.