22 replies to this topic

[dklawson]

Yes indeed, they are from Todd. So far I haven't heard any complaints about them. They are quite a bit heavier (larger OD) than the stock Rover ones. When I first bought them I wasn't sure they'd fit inside double valve springs but everyone assures me they will. Regardless, I swapped my AEG163 Head for a 12G940 with single springs so I never bothered to check them for clearance.

[Bluemini]

Were do you get these seals from??? I need to change mine...

[adam c]

I have just ordered a hand held sand blast gun from screwfix as i need it to see how bad the rot on my roof is. I have no idea how good it will be but would it be possible to sand blast the head without damaging things or is it too risky, should i put the valves in or would it damage them?? Failing that could i use a wire brush in a drill to remove the carbon or is there another method??
Cheers guys :cool: ...

[dklawson]

Plug the valve guides with corks or cover them with plastic/vinyl plugs and blast away on the head. DO NOT blast the valve seats themselves but do blast all through the ports. Also, DO NOT blast the flat surface of the head. Mask it off. You can blast the combustion chambers, but again... do not blast the seats.

ALSO... DO NOT sandblast the roof. You'll turn it into a warped potato chip. If you must strip the roof, mechanically sand it, chemically strip it, or scrape it but do not sandblast it. Professional panel blasters can do the job if you insist on this method, but they will use plastic media, baking soda, or walnut shells. These impart less energy on the panel and do a better job of NOT warping it. Pay particular attention to the roof/gutter area. You will very likely find bad rust in this zone that will have to be chemically treated.

by the way, wear a respirator and proper eye protection when sandblasting. You don't want to breathe the silicone dust and you certainly don't want it in your eyes. A blast hood is the proper thing to wear.

EDIT: The Viton guides that I am using came from an Austin America owner, Todd Miller. He buys these from a local machine shop and has been selling them to Mini owners around the world. He'll be happy to sell you some. Drop him a line at:
[email protected]

[siggy]

To be honest Doug I can't say I have ever had any real problems with stem seals.
I did think about trying a set but with the cost of postage, It never seemed worthwhile.

Siggy

[dklawson]

Siggy, I see your point. My decision to give the Viton seals a go was based on Todd's experiences. He rebuilt a 1275 AA engine with the standard Rover seals and he began drawing oil through the intakes after 2 years. Now Todd drives his car more than I do so he may have exposed the Rover seals to more heat and cycles than I was going to... but I figured I didn't want to do any head maintenance for years to come. The Viton seals were cheap insurance.

[adam c]

Ahh...cheers
I was only thinking of blasting the gutters of the roof where its rotten as i think it would be very difficult to sand this area. I am already not liking the idea of welding repair sections in as theres so many sides to line up but theres no other way to repair it..i might get my mate to do it for me or i'll have to weld plates on the inside and then finish off with filler which i don't like the idea of. I'm not doing the job for a while so i might start a thread on it when i get round to doing it...
Cheers again

[dklawson]

The gutters are nasty and hard to work on. I chemically stripped mine followed by wiring brushing. Even then I could still see trapped rust and deep scaly rust. Since I was completely redoing the shell I taped over the little gutter drain slots at the four corners of the car, filled the gutters with fine sand, THEN I wet the sand with phosphoric acid. I put tape over the open, top side of the gutters to prevent evaporation and left this for a day. Then I removed the sand and repeated the process. The sand acts like a wick to keep the acid in contact with the rust. However, the acid will get depleted around the rust fairly quickly, you may need to repeat the process several times. The acid will attack the rust leaving the sound metal intact. Regardless of whether you sandblast or chemically attack the gutters, there will likely be scaly thick rust deposits that need to be mechanically "picked" or chipped out.

The phosphoric acid will typically leave an etched surface which is coated with zinc or iron phosphate. When dry this is an excellent base for paint adhesion. The acid will likely be available from automotive paint supply houses. It is also available from companies selling maintenance supplies for farm equipment and automotive restoration tools. I know POR-15 is available in the UK and they have a nice phosphoric acid product but it's more expensive than it needs to be.