Valve Spring Compressor Tool

[orange150]

I've got this 7120 4.0 head sitting around so I might start going through it in hopes it brings some life into my tired old 258.

From what I can tell, the few things I will need that I don't already have to DIY this head is a valve spring compression tool and a valve lapping tool (and compound).

What do tool do y'all recommend? Looking on Amazon there are more variations than I imagined.

If y'all have any other tips and tricks to share that would be appreciated too. I've been reading this article as a guide: Video: A Low-Buck Cylinder Head Rebuild You Can Do In Your Garage

 

[Blkvoodoo]

A spring compressor is pretty basic to rather elaborate and expensive. I’ve got one I’ve used on several different styles of heads with little issue, it wasn’t expensive at all. Manually operated, has 2 sets of feet to compress the keeper, straight and dog legged.
You’ll want a small rubber faced hammer to help unseat the keepers from the locks and a small magnetized screw driver or stick magnet to pull the locks out of the keepers.

As for the lapping sticks, maybe some of the performance websites have “good” one that can actually handle being used. Last one I had the suction cups failed after the second or third valve, ended up buying several to accomplish the task.

something to keep in mind, if your head has miles on it, the valve guides will need some attention, lapping a valve in a loose guide is frustrating, it doesn’t make for a good seat and aggravation to get a sealing surface.

lapping compound needs to be used sparingly and carefully, getting it on the valve stem isn’t good.

something like this isn’t expensive and works reasonably well. You aren’t doing production work, it doesn’t
need to be fancy.

and there is this...

 

[Jody Treadway]

PM me your address and you can borrow my compressor and valve lapping tool

 

[Halftrac]

After you remove the keepers dont force the valve out. Carefully grind the top, what happens is the tip will curl over making removal hard ..

 

[upnover]

OK, Much more to all of this that has been mentioned. So in no actual order.....

As far as the valve spring compressor, I tried using one like is pictured, once. The issues were when tightening it down to compress the valve spring, the end wanted to open up, making it slip off the valve spring. tighten it up with the adjustment screw, and more often than not, it wanted to cover stem keepers. was a PITA. I really liked the pneumatic spring compressor a lot more.

Before using the spring compressor, use a hard deadblow hammer on the tops of the valve stems to loosen the keepers.

A valve job is much more that just disassembling and re-assembling. The valves, matting surface of the valve seat valve seat, and very possibly the valve stems will need to be ground Just lapping in the valves will be long and tedious. And it's likely you won't ever get them to seat properly. Lapping the valves in, is more like a final fitting. You can get a dye, that you put on the valves before lapping them. After lapping, you can wipe the valve and see the pattern, if the dye is still all around the valve surface, then you have done nothing to make it fit and seal better. So this is why both valve and valve matting surface need to be ground down. The dye is a good indicator that the valve will seal, but pulling vacuum will be the best indicator. And as was mentioned, if the valve guides are worn, you won't get a good seal. If you have to have the guides replace (replaced is a loose term, and most guides are just holes drilled through the head casting, a replacement guide is when the machine shop re-rills the casting holes over sized and replaces it with a brass/bronze type bushing. The replacement guides sometimes have to be honed to get proper fitment of your valves. Getting a replacement valve guide does have other benefits. You can put a actual valve seal on it, verses the umbrella type "seal"

If your valve train is not adjustable, then since you have grind down the valve surface, and grind the valve seats, you will most likely have to grind the valve stems as well. It was also mentioned about grinding the top of the valve stem, this meaning take it to a grinder, with a fine surface, like one you'd use to sharpen a drill bit, and LIGHTLY hit just the edge of the valve stem. This will make it easier to go back into the head, and not scar up a new guide.

OK, that's all I can remember for now. Any questions, feel free to ask. many years ago, building heads in a machine shop was my job.

 

[Jeff B]

I made one out of a piece of 1/4" flat bar and threaded rod. it's slow but works well.


Lap them until they will hold some carburetor cleaner in the chamber without any wetting on the other side in the port.

Would be a good idea to get a ball gauge and check the guides. I had to have my guides sleeved. You can also get valves with over sized stems and have your guides homes out if necessary.


* disclaimer. Wrote this before I read the previous post. Chip is correct on all counts.

 

[orange150]

Yea if the guides are worn I think I'm either destined for the machine shop or I'm just going to scrap the idea and get rid of the head. I'm wanting to do this for as little money as possible because at the end of the day I want to run a Ford small block, and money and time are more precious to me than oxygen currently.