Opel Cylinder Head Resurface and O Ringing

This Opel Kadett cylinder hewad was brought into Costa Mesa R&D Automotive Machine Shop for resurfacing and O-ringing, watch as John Edwards guides you thru the process. [phone] Don't forget to 'Click' and SUBSCRIBE!

[@davegt27]

This video reminds me how much I enjoyed the machine shop classes I took at the local Jr. College. I found a tilt bed and machined 2 of my Opel heads to increase the diameter of the lifter; my goal was to convert the Opel head to roller lifters lol. The project was technically over my head (no pun intended) but great fun. I did bore out the lifter holes but that was as far as I went.

[@bosco5652]

On my performance motorcycles I put the O-rings grooves on the cylinder liners. Much easier to run it true with an indicator and if you screw up you can always replace the liner. Haven't yet though.

[@unclesquirrel6951]

Rest In Peace John .

[@Drottninggatan2017]

What happened to John?

[@unclesquirrel6951]

@@Drottninggatan2017 he had a heart attack about 8-9 years ago

[@bmh67wa]

You don't even need the o-ring anymore. They have different head gaskets that don't require them now.

Oh my dog! O never thought this. Very usefull, and easier to install O'Ring on overhead instead on enginee block. Thank You a lot!

[@sc928porsche8]

should have squared the top gasket surface to match the surface you made on the head in the prior video so that when you set it up on the mill your O ring holes would be the same depth all the way around the head surface.

[@fredhicks1042]

He'll I just rubbed mine across the pavement a couple times worked great.

[@Tore_Lund]

@Paul Dawson Actually You can do that: A thick piece of glass on a piece of carpet on a level straight table surface. That is your very accurate straight plane. Then spray glue some sheets of 400-600 emerald cloth and do figure 8's, only using the weight of the head as pressure until the whole head is touching the sandpaper. Bought a car with a blown head gasket and after testing the head on the same piece of glass, that it was not warped or had cracks, but only a slight bend lifting the center of the head, I did this for 20 minutes and besides being straighter than I could measure, the surface had the proper roughness to grip the new head gasket, as opposed to the usual machine shop slippery finish. Also this only cost me 20$

[@davidparker9676]

@@Tore_Lund That works for making it flat but can make the surface un-level or out of square. A good machinist is worth the price. However, this guy is not a good machinist. He's an example of what not to do.

[@Tore_Lund]

@@davidparker9676 You ofcourse measure what you are doing: Cylinder head flatness and warp usually don't need to be better the 0.05-0.04mm, according to workshop manuals which is much more crooked than float glass I suggest using. So to measure afterwards, you paint the surface of the head with a permanent marker, and pull the cylinder head, once over your bare glass work surface, to reveal highspots. So this method achieves better than spec, and the surface roughness is better suited for the head gasket than using a flycutter, something a lot of people forget when having cylinder heads done. I once made a dovetail rail from H-profile 4 ft long 1/2 ft wide, and stopped when I only had a depression of 0.06mm in the middle and the edges were unmeasurable flat, which is amazing on such a big object, but it took 9 hours over 3 days to grind steel by hand. With that one, I also measured it with a line laser afterwards to verify my result. That technique works like interferometry used to measure optics. You shine the laserline in plane with the surface, so this very thin line illuminates the whole surface, at that extremely narrow angle. You then have a projection screen behind your setup some feet away. By the number of refraction lines you get projected, and their distance, you can calculate deviations from flat within 1/6 of the wavelength of the color of the light, I was using a red laser, around 70 nm, or 1/1400 mm !!. This also shows variations in height transversely if the lines have any waviness between them, from side to side. So that dovetail ended as smooth as the rails on any lathe. But you don't need such true flatness for a cylinder head.

[@davidparker9676]

@@Tore_Lund I agree it is an excellent way to get a flat surface. However, when the head warps it can twist and using the glass and abrasive method can angle the surface out of square. Using the fly cutter or similar surfacing machine you can correct or compensate for warpage by shimming the head to square and making the surface true as well as flat. I have used the glass method before but would not consider it a superior method to correct a warped precision surface. It is excellent to use the glass method to hone a surface after machining to remove machine anomalies and tooling marks. The surface roughness needs to match the type of gasket being used. Using graphite composite gaskets requires a rougher surface to get a good seal. MLS gaskets need smoother finishes on the surface of the head and block. When a skilled machinist is not available, the glass method is the best alternative. The factory tolerances are a worst case scenario for repair situations. I guarantee you the factory surfaces are at or near 0.00mm when they are produced

[@Tore_Lund]

​@@davidparker9676 Thank you, I think your conclusion is the wise one. Yes, It was for fiber gaskets. I've never used a metal one, and surely they require higher accuracy. But it gives you a certain satisfaction to do small jobs like this with hand tools, and achieve sufficient accuracy. And yes, not the method for a severely warped head, Your camshaft bearings will still be crooked, if you just grind the surface flat. Then a heat treatment under tension, to straighten your head, is the only way.

[@jaysilverheals4445]

The big grinder that goes across the top somehow the weight is deflecting the head or something. Everyone saw that the oring thing was hitting heavy towards the front by "quite a shocking amount".. My guess is that when the big facing contraption gets all the way over near the end of the cut something is deflecting and then it goes back when the facer moves way back off to the side. I dont know without inspecting the machine but it needs to be gotten to the bottom of--plain and simple. With the video being there so long and so many people spotting it and mentioning it I cannot believe he has said nothing. Also I NEVER KNEW ORINGS WERE IN THE TOPS OF BLOCKS AROUND THE CHAMBERS.. anyway I am prototype-molds stuff like that I have never been an automotive machinist but I can tell you this--IT CERTAINLY LOOKS LIKE I COULD BE IF I WANTED TO BE.

[@toyotatech2jz814]

Awesome video.thanks for sharing

[@mauromauro9149]

Beautiful vídeo, but what are they for the orring waht did you make

[@erik61801]

RIP Buddy.

[@DEFiANCE665]

Looks good. If I wasnt so poor Id have you rebuild and Oring my 6.9 heads. lol

[@richardwallinger1683]

I used wills rings on my race engine instead of a head gasket .. Perfect seal and no more blown head gaskets .1980 Donnington GT championship 1 litre class winner.

[@pprotory]

Umm either you didn't properly tram in your mill table or you didn't properly tram the head to the mill head. When you started that o-ring it was clearly cutting uneven from front to back meaning that the o-ring groove wont be uniform all around.

[@johnwoodworth248]

Hugh O'Brien I’m sure he forgot more then the both of you will most likely ever know . Lol

[@trabadix]

pprotory the dowel is necessary for this job too

[@bubster1981]

What was not square , or just right during the last o-ring cut...i noticed a few thou taken from one side 1st

[@erichope1103]

Did not look square at all :)

[@kloss602]

what a joke. definitely not squared up if the head was just done

[@BoostedMonkey4g63]

bubster1981 Im not a machinist but I noticed right away the head or wasn’t square.

[@Drottninggatan2017]

This mechanic is the laid back type. They don't care so much about details.

[@seekingtko3146]

still, a smart guy especially when he talks Parallels for dial indicating a surface to be machined..most guys ive seen here never used Parallels, so they don't know true level..)

[@seekingtko3146]

some bits are worn more than others, apparently yours never gets used

[@seekingtko3146]

oh but i do all ya gota do is clamp a indicator to the mill and preload and zero it.. indicate one end to the other end of the part so it comes out *PARALLEL* now a skim cut will *clean up* most of the surface..yes i know have known for along time..i run mills, surface grinders..edm's..cnc miills..cnc lathe..and have the most experience with a broom LOL

[@seekingtko3146]

The ways we call gibs, soft stock for taking up slack in the carriage ...a half thousands is .0005 ...to mill a ring groove with that tolerance is questionable to say the least..even .001 one thousands is still hairy..using a depth mike in the groove takes talent, and careful deburring of the ring edge..the 001 error would look like a train going round and round up the hill and back down.. if thats the case then i'd be willing to say the part lifted .001 and milled off too much and then the part went back down giving you 001 more..parts shift more often than a machine shifts so i think your machine ways may not have done it, but whos to say a thousands on a mill is awesome and 5 tenths is *WHAT* lol

[@shodanxx]

Hey, at 6:40, when that cutter starts digging in, is really doesn't make a nice circle at first ! Since you just planed the head, it seems that you have the head at an angle. Won't that mean that your o-ring groove will not be the same depth all the way around and that the o-ringing won't be as good as it should ?

[@supersevenn]

+shodanxx +lipton tea Was about to ask the same thing....wondering where the misalignment is at and if it will affect it or if its insignificant

[@wrenchracerepeatawayoflife2060]

shodanxx I'd think even the smallest uneven groove would make the o-ring worthless.

[@lilpsychobuddy]

It's a Rubber O-ring. The tolerances on those can be all over that place. The error in the cut depth looked like less than a thousandth which couldn't possibly hurt it.

[@blindabinda1234]

It is most deff not a rubber o ring. It's a stain less steel or copper wire. a rubber o ring? are you serious?? what would be the point?

[@y0utub4user]

Yeah definitely not 100% correct way of doing this it'll cause an uneven press on the ring when clamped down.. will it cause it to fail? Probably won't ever know.. but the proper way is with a plate that centers with the headbolt holes and uses a hand crank cutter that you indicate off the surface of the head so you get an proper depth all the way around

[@shodanxx]

How effective is this "o-ringing" thing ? Can you increase the compression ratio more ? What is the effect ?

[@Qusin111]

NOT AT ALL AND NO

[@constantinosschinas4503]

how do you set it up to be true level? i guess you don't have to. it has to be true flat, not level., since there is no linear motion passing through the seam, that would not accept a slightly off axis.

[@grantstone6814]

put some side clearance on tip(outer edge) it's rubbing like a bitch, the tips are designed to go into parallel slot not a radial grove.Your head needs a clock up as well

[@jimny4k]

Perfectly set-up using the traditional "Eye-Crometer"....holy shit you're serious?

[@austinbecker4654]

Keith Phillips , I thought the same thing. Who in their right mind would have work done by this shop after them posting this.

[@RangieNZ]

How else would you do it? You have no centre position. You just need to match the cutter to just outside the scribed line..

[@kendallpopham7769]

@@RangieNZ I'm not even a machinist, but using the tangent edges from the circles scribed in, you can draw a line, and i know basic geometry tells me the center is exactly perpendicular to that line at the tangent. there are a few ways you can do this. that's just what i came up with a few seconds after reading your comment.

[@RangieNZ]

@@kendallpopham7769 So, "you can draw a line" - onto what - the void of a combustion chamber - there's nothing there at deck level? The tool also has no centre-point, so having a dot showing centre of cylinder doesn't help you align it. All you need, is to make sure the tool overlap is virtually the same all around - quite easy by eye. By far the biggest issue with this for me, is the head wasn't mounted flat to the mill, shown by it starting cutting the front before the rear, giving an unequal cut depth.

[@kendallpopham7769]

@@RangieNZ a tangent line does not intersect a circle... it wouldn't be in the combustion chamber, it would be to the side. it would look roughly like this O_O_O_O but the line would be unbroken except where there were holes for the water jacket. knowing the diameter of the circle you scribed from the gasket you can jog the mill half that distance perpendicular to the line where the circle is tangent. It's also not a big deal to put in another piece of tooling that did have a center and use that to line up the mill head.

[@hottie213]

Shouldn't it be supported in the middle? In my opinion this type of fixture (only in the ends) works like a string in guitar.

[@Trendyrapslut]

No it just needs to be perpendicular to the cutter as this one was not

[@MrGuvEuroman]

We used to use engineers blue to scribe metal.

[@ejasburyiii9287]

John, I've owned 3 Opel GT's, same engine. Can you use the stock head gasket after the O-ring job? It appears your sizing the groove to be compressed by the steel crush ring of the stock head gasket around each cylinder? Also, are you buying a commercial wire ring, or making the rings? Great information, E J

[@fiatnutz]

I make them from copper wire. I always use the composition gaskets when installing O-rings. The MLS gaskets are too hard to deform to make a good seal.

[@cetGT3]

Heyy fiatnutz, i have a question plz answer, i know that you have worked on x/19 engines in the past, i have the block from punto gt which is a exact copy of the x/19 except the top of the block is an open deck, im thinking of pouring Devcon plastic steel liquid to brace the top and stop it from cracking as it has happened to my friends engine, is this a good idea?

[@seekingtko3146]

1:11 !!! Ahh haa i knew it all along all this time-- be parallel or be square

[@yoyyoy4789]

whats the name of machine for cutting o ring?

[@DavidWright-yh8zx]

A. Never heard of this B. The head wasn’t level C. You machine the faces then ruin the chance of a water and oil tight seat .! D. The head is now junk , ok for holding back the garage door !

[@bijankhairy9636]

from the start of the cut you can tell that head was tilted so the groove isn`t going to have an even depth....

[@milkmanpeter]

Do you really need o ring? or jest good quality head gasket

[@davegt27]

its possible its for a turbo motor but normally the Opel 1.9 CIH has very low compression so it would be hard to get enough compression out of the motor to justify installing "O" rings

[@paky66]

CIH engine cylinder head!! :D Same with what i have in my car.A common problem with these engines are 2-3 cylinders because of cylinder head deformation

[@samuellorca9931]

Name of the paint please?

[@جمالدحدوح-س4ن]

hi how to level it ?

[@lwidinaguilar245]

what is the purpose for the o ring this is the first time I heard of iy

[@josedourado3747]

Lwidin Aguilar its to reinforce the gasket due to increasing the horsepower with increased compression due to installation of a turbo and new injection. Lol

[@antiekeradio]

For some strange reason the video errors out at 5:02. Cant show any part of the vid after that, not even when i move the cursor manually. Tried it last night and now_ still the same problem. Too bad :-(

[@MrGuvEuroman]

John are you still about?

[@bigfootGeorgia]

How far from the scribe line do you cut the O ring groove? great videos!!!

[@farrah4424]

What happens when you have to resurface the head all the way down to the valve seats

[@noxious89123]

You throw it away and get a new head!

[@Desertduleler_88]

It's completely fucked.

[@billyc2572]

Well i know what machine shop im not going to...

[@melvingozo]

If the head was square to the mill, why did the cutter make first contact only on the front (min 6:8) before the cutter started to dig into the rear? And, Is this procedure something you would recommend on a diesel engine cylinder head (series 50 DDA)?

[@josepeixoto3384]

6:8 yes,but negligible; 50 dda :do it per factory specs(no wire rings) you´ll be allright; these wires are a waste of money,may even interfere with sealing; then you fill them with weld, and redo...used for HIGH end blown engines,BUT with EXTREME precision; for an OPEL KADDET nick nack sht engine!!!!! a diy cardboard gasket would do; oh,wait...better get a proper gasket

[@forgotmylogininfo]

how much boost should this be able to handle now?

[@krypendekabel9319]

I know bmw m20b25 engine running 2.6 bar boost with O-rings and stock gasket=)

[@nalakahenegama6728]

Good job. but this job not matching with automobile Theory. let me know. is this engine still working?

[@outsidescrewball]

Hi John... How do you align the head on the mill table, what do you use to set the X in line? Chuck

[@fiatnutz]

I use a special ring that is 12" in diameter and use an indicator in the mill head to sweep across it. I think I have a video of this somewhere.

[@WAVETUBE84]

+outsidescrewball Tricky question!

[@kkxxxk4846]

what your name

[@larrykeesee1442]

Nice work ... can I send u parts to recondition..??

[@jamesclark8962]

I’d be pissed if I was the owner of the head and saw this video.

[@90slegends49]

Why do we need a o ring? Is it related to power level or rpm or What?

[@turtlemann14]

much more robust as its inset and locked into the head. the steel insert in most gaskets will push out of the way if there is enough combustion force.

[@scdevon]

This engine won't make enough power to worry about it.

[@christinawhatmore9501]

Should of sorted the warped surface before any machining which is a ball ache I no but if for high compression engine should have been done as it will not work and keep on blowing gasket!

[@getz051]

cam tunnel would not be square either and will cause premature camshaft failure, the head should have been heated and straightened the day before any milling was attempted seeing it was a cast iron head, my advise is to stay clear of R & D Automotive Machining Shop

[@alycestapleton]

Christina Whatmore too funny you fuckwit made no sense in your sad comment, and also you muppet you can only fix a warpped head by slowly heating it up on a flat surface and is bolted too it then they check it again to see if there are differences or not then they mechine it if its worth it

[@mwpriem]

What inserts do you use on the resurfacer?

[@jimmccartney5213]

My question is where did they find an Opel worty more than the machining cost???

[@seanciccozzi6491]

Lol he just surfaced the head and it was not level at all see how it started cutting only on the one side first when he did the ring

[@s.v.gadder1443]

Head wasn't square to the cutter

[@Phen0mable]

I find millimeters more precise for this kind of a job

[@dtiydr]

+Phen0mable 1 mm is less then a half thou so yes, it is much better to use when precision is key.

[@sharonfuller8106]

+dtiydr 1mm is .0394 that almost forty thou!! how is mm more accurate??

[@Phen0mable]

+Sharon Fuller metric more accurate than imperial

[@dtiydr]

Sharon Fuller You answer your own question. In metric everything is smaller sort of speak and thus have a higher precision then imperial decimal numbers.

[@josepeixoto3384]

nobody went to the moon,yet; it was all a movie(Armstrong told me); inches are AS precise as one wants; tenths,hundredths,etc...

[@stocks4bt]

what does layout die do?

[@davegt27]

the die puts a stain on the part sort of like spray paint, you can then scribe marks on the part you want to mod

[@GavrielRomero]

he uses metric system... +/- 1 meter :P lol

[@velkejkoren]

That doesnt seem properly aligned.

[@ChipLogicRO]

that head is gone..

[@TheTomdrift]

you are gone

[@Shazzkid]

Where did it go?

[@MABFR01]

@@Shazzkid trash because it's absolutely fucked

[@finno123456]

where is your head at or gone :)

[@vcmdpropulsion126]

doesn't look like we would be getting this business, the owner is not responding, figuring she probably dont care about the business anymore

[@erik61801]

i was wondering if someone would foster home all those machines.. kind of sad to let his legacy go to dust..

[@daight12345]

he died btw

[@vcmdpropulsion126]

@@daight12345 yah i know, i know the son of the business. it was sold off to someone

[@noepuente6416]

orining For what

[@m_ssingp_eces]

RIP

[@Scott-wl2zh]

So I understand why your doing this but if your head is milled true and the block is milled true what benefit does this give Oh oh I see your customer was to cheap to get ALL the proper machine work done So I'm guessing this technique is used for an nonmachined engine blocks as to prevent compression leakage between cylinders seems kinda ghetto but every one to their own um just a suggestion maybe a copper head gasket and a true mating surface on the block and head and good ol felpro copper spray coating I have run a 383 with 8-71 this way for freak in ever

[@turtlemann14]

they don't make copper or even multilayered steel gaskets for everything. plus, this can lift the head and sit back down and still have a chance at sealing back up. you can't always get enough clamping force with the stock faster spacing/ size/ quantity to hold the head down.

[@hassanalbaraznchy3922]

كم السعر رجاءا

[@youngbuckrestoration3912]

Yeah.. I'd rather spend the extra few hundred to have it CNC machined instead...

[@Kj16V]

8:35 My ears!!

[@vcrfuneral_]

Is this what my shop wants to charge me $1500 for ??? To run it through a machine

[@waynegoff764]

+Angelica Romero Those machines are expensive.

[@davidparker9676]

I just realized that this machinist died of a heart attack on Christmas day 2017.

[@robtdougherty]

Really?? where did you find this out?

[@davidparker9676]

@@robtdougherty His business was shut down by his family and the info was posted by his relatives.

[@robtdougherty]

Nervermind, i found it.

[@robtdougherty]

@@davidparker9676 ya, thats pretty much what I read. Kinda feels weird watching his videos now. I have been watching them on and off for years.

[@davidparker9676]

@@robtdougherty He was in the neighboring county and I was going to check out his shop. When I looked it up online I saw all of the info about the business closing and the family was trying to reach all of the customers that had engines in his shop. I have been looking for a good machinist since the last 3 of mine died of heart attacks as well. It is getting harder and harder to find good shops that can do even average work. I know how to do the work myself but do not have the expensive equipment. I always check out machine shops to see what equipment is used, the condition of equipment and the shop in general and lastly, I look at the completed work they have on hand. I have toured many shops and I am still looking for one that doesn't scare me away. There are a lot of incompetent shops out there. I understand how you feel when you say it seems strange now viewing his videos knowing he has died.

[@tommythenice6799]

Oh boy that first and only! Pass at the beginning looks like had removed a ton of material, and the rest of the work is at the same level....i cringed

[@scooter1391]

I agree with pprotory that oring fcked up you owe the guy a new head. I could have done a better job with a hand drill

[@DumbCarGuy]

He did a great job. Go whine somewhere else.

[@originalusernamefail]

This is a piss take, yeah?

[@ralfsautomotive]

No set in stone way? Maybe someone needs to teach you how to machine!

[@pero2727]

kadett, not kadette ;)

[@paky66]

Being in america...most likely an Ascona/Manta or a GT. I don't think they have Rekord versions there

[@fiatnutz]

paky66 The race car is the Kadett, we had the 1,1 and 1,9 liter engine in cars that were shipped to the States. I also remember a 1,5 liter version.

[@paky66]

fiatnutz 1,1 liter is OHV if i remember correct and it is different. This cylinder head looks like a 1.9/2.0

[@paky66]

***** I know...i had to move 4 of them 2 weeks ago while relocating my garage. Too damn heavy...

[@opelstu]

+JP JP yep. that's why I put a c20xe with 45s in my Manta. and the other Manta has 3ltr v6 in it.

[@khorshedalom7383]

gm

[@Я_Шатал]

Есть тут фрезеровщики? Нахера он в головке канаву сделал?

[@aabenkro]

Ich meine , das du den zylinderkopf mit diesem Fräsen zerstörst, / Google Translet / I mean that you destroy the cylinder head with this milling,

[@futten3230]

ooh a good old opel CIH head paint in the ass to change cams in

[@alycestapleton]

Too funny why o ring the head !?? You only do this to the block deck surface ,because if you warp the head you well have to weld up those groves. Go back to tech school or tafe as we call it here in oz or Australia

[@TheHariyadhi]

SOHC Engine

[@davegt27]

called a CIH or Cam in Head

[@afftar100video]

Как врач говорю, АХУЕННО👍

[@Rebys-c6m]

для чего он эти канавы нарезал ?

[@LS1NNOVATIONS]

What a joke