RE: IML: 1973 Imperial Valve Job Questions

["bill parker" <hemirr@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Although you won't know for sure until you get it apart (hole/crack in 
piston, etc?) here are some suggestions:

(1) cheapest, you can check carefully and see if the edges of any valves, or 
valve seats (almost certainly exhaust valves) are burnt away, it can be 
subtle to tell with the head assembled, easier with the valves out.  If 
there are no edges burnt away, you may be able to "lap" the valves using 
compound to renew the sealing surfaces.  You'll only be out the cost of a 
gasket set, compound, and a lapping tool if you can do this

(2) next cheap, if there is a valve or two with burnt edges, but the seats 
are still OK (this does happen this way sometimes), you can pick up some new 
valves just for those bad ones, and lap them in to the original seats.

(3) and (4) are similar in priceing depending on what you have done

(3) would be to have the heads rebuilt at a local machine shop.  Since it is 
a '73, it already has hardening to the surface of the exhaust seats, but if 
they have to be ground much, that might be lost.  I don't believe they used 
a completely hardened-through seat insert at that time.  If you aren't going 
to drive the car thousands of miles on long trips, it won't really matter.  
If no valves have to be replaced, springs not broken, guides not worn beyond 
use, you may get by for three hundred dollars for the grind job, resurface, 
and gasket set.  If you need some guides, some springs, and add hardened 
exhaust seat inserts, it gets to around $750.

(4) Buy a set of ready-to-go heads from AeroHead in Indy.  I didn't see 
where you are, but if you have to have them shipped you're looking at some 
bucks for that.  They offer a pair of heads ready to go with new valves etc 
for $499, with options such as hardened seats adding a premium.

Bill & Kathi Parker, South Central Indiana
'56 Chrysler Windsor; '60 Chrysler Saratoga; '62 Plymouth Max Wedge; '64 
Dart convertible; '65 Barracuda \6; '65 Imperial; '68 Barracuda FB 340-S; 
'69 Barracuda FB now 360; '70 Challenger now 440; '72 Cuda '340




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