Upgraded SS +1.5 Valves & Mild Cam Head Gasket Rebuild Thread (1 Viewer)

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Anyone know the torque specs offhand for ARP headbolts? This is with the cometic MLX HG. I’m at the shop trying to double check on my phone. Having a little trouble with it. Thanks in advance
 
Who is doing the head work for you? I have debated doing something similar for a long time along with a good header/exhaust setup. Just get it to breathe a bit better for the extra little bit it needs to be satisfactory. I don't have any idea for ARP stud torque but maybe call ARP and see what they recommend?
 
Anyone know the torque specs offhand for ARP headbolts? This is with the cometic MLX HG. I’m at the shop trying to double check on my phone. Having a little trouble with it. Thanks in advance

I went 80ftlbs.

Cheers
 
Who is doing the head work for you? I have debated doing something similar for a long time along with a good header/exhaust setup. Just get it to breathe a bit better for the extra little bit it needs to be satisfactory. I don't have any idea for ARP stud torque but maybe call ARP and see what they recommend?
Steves Machine Shop in Azusa, CA.
 
Circling back to this HG journey. Didn't post for a while since I was dealing with a Cometic HG mfg defect.

After waiting over a month on the Cometic MLX HG, I noticed when I dropped it onto the deck, the HG did not go on without a fight.
The locating dowels didn't line up, and when encouraged to fit over both dowels the MLX bowed slightly and were ever so slightly off.

My initial thoughts was that my block must be slightly tweaked. Good thing I had a new OEM factory HG as a reference. OEM gasket went on like a glove, perfect.
I contacted Drew at Cometic last November to try to remedy this but was given the runaround. Drove 100 miles RT, twice to get the photos Cometic has requested.
A picture speaks a thousand words...

I'll leave the dremel photos out, too cringeworthy to post.

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That's a disheartening picture.

Now that I have a spare head, I've been thinking of slowly putting a similar package together. Thanks for the updates.

Tell me about it. What was more disheartening was to have to wait another 5 weeks for the MLS HG. Didn't want to chance that the replacement MLX was built on the same JIG or template...

Glad your enjoying the updates. I was wondering if anyone was really interested in this mod. But I thought I'd update since it's always a bummer to read about someone's attempt at project only for it to go dark. Moments away to firing it.
 
Well that head gasket is ruined.
Ha! I had high hopes with for MLX. A bunch of back and forth with Cometic, multiple 100mi trips, detailed photos requested. I'll be honest, it was kind of a drag. They really did their best in trying to not warranty the HG. At one point they had told me to drill out the rivets on the HG and re-align all 4 layers. I told them I wasn't planning on paying 250.00 to DIY my own HG, lol. In the end, the pictures and mic'd dims of the stock OEM gasket going on evenly is what changed their minds. Didn't want to take the gamble again so I went with a tried and true MLS, and another 5 weeks of waiting :wtf:
 
This might be of some interest to you guys. I don't think this has been done yet, or at least documented here on mud. Like I had mentioned initially,
My goal was to free up the breathing a bit via cams, light headwork, and valves. Right at the very edge without throwing any codes.
What I didn't anticipate was this little surprise. My head builder and I joked about it doing it but I didn't think he was actually going to do it!

This bucket is the same ones that the Nissan GTR and 350Z's share. It's roughly half the weight and no shims to deal with. I'd have to admit, I was a little concerned
as this was going a bit over my threshold of "a little bit more than stock", lol. We shall see soon enough how it runs...
IMG_3502.jpeg

IMG_3503.jpeg
IMG_3504.jpeg
 
Yeah I bought those same cam buckets years ago, the only issue I can identify is that if you grind the inner pad to get the correct clearance you are removing the hardened layer of material and it will wear quickly. You can see if you can order the correct size but from my initial measurements it didn't look like it would fit. I would take a look at the Supertech system, where they use a cap shim on the valve stem.
 
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Another small piece of the puzzle. If this one works it is going to be my best idea yet! Lol

So the 80 uses a shim on bucket design. Where under the cam you have a bucket that sits on top of the valve and spring and then you adjust lash by adding a thin shim to the top of that bucket.

Something similar to this.
toyota-2jzgte-shimless-bucket-package-24-pieces-6.gif


In situations where you have increased the spring pressure, or increased the lift, or increased the lift speed of the cam, or increased the RPM's, you have the potential of that shim being pushed off the bucket because of spring bounce and banging around inside the head causing all kinds of problems.

One way to get around this is to do a shim under bucket design where you place the shim inside the bucket and it spaces the bucket up to the cam. The only problem with this is if the bucket wasn't designed to wear against the cam you get accelerated wear, metal flake, or if the bucket has lips to retain the shim they catch the cam.

This had been figured out 9+ years ago on the Supra's using later MR2 buckets. In the Supra it also reduces a lot of weight from the valve train. But obviously the MR2 buckets are way too small for the 1FZ.

So the Nissan series of engines including the GT-R, use a shimless bucket for the cam to ride on and compress the spring and move the valve. They accomplish this by offering many different sizes of "lifter-valves" these have the "shim" built into the underside of the bucket.

I know I am probably going to have to mill the underside to get it to match the valve lash perfectly, but you get a shimless system, a hardened bucket that even has a DLC (Diamomd Like Coating) on the face to reduce friction and eleminate wear!!

I won't know for certain if they will work until the Ferrea stuff gets here but that is supposed to be Monday.

Until then check these bad boys out! Lol

1429905493466-jpg.1066496

1429905523182-jpg.1066497

Well it is a success. If anyone else wants to try something like this while I go away for 18 months, it works and fits perfectly! The only piece missing now from a badass head is the Kelford cams and then putting it all together. The cams I was told are 60 days out and unfortunately I won't get to work on it when they show up. But if you are wondering.

Intake
dsc00522-jpg.1069040


Exhaust
dsc00523-jpg.1069041
 
Yeah I bought those same cam buckets years ago, the only issue I can identify is that if you grind the inner pad to get the correct clearance you are removing the hardened layer of material and it will wear quickly. You can see if you can order the correct size but from my initial measurements it didn't look like it would fit. I would take a look at the Supertech system, where they use a cap shim on the valve stem.
Oh wow nice, didn't know you already explored this route. Did you ever test it out? We ended up going with Manley valves as Ferrea was more than I wanted to spend for a refresh.
I will have to check in with my head builder on how he tackled this fitment.
 
How did it work out with the Kelford cams Scott? Which valves did you end up using? Were you happy with the results! Very nice.
 
How did it work out with the Kelford cams Scott? Which valves did you end up using? Were you happy with the results! Very nice.
No update from my side. I moved and shipped the head and cams across the country and didn't bother to open the boxes. When I finally did open them, both the head and the cams were broken and it was too late to claim them as damaged in shipping so I ended up loosing out big. I bought a new head and ported and polished it, but then I moved again. I have not replaced the cams or assembled the head.
 
No update from my side. I moved and shipped the head and cams across the country and didn't bother to open the boxes. When I finally did open them, both the head and the cams were broken and it was too late to claim them as damaged in shipping so I ended up loosing out big. I bought a new head and ported and polished it, but then I moved again. I have not replaced the cams or assembled the head.
Man, that sucks.
 

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