so im porting my heads and i dont really hit the seats but the nut on my rotary tool just swipes against the top of it in a little spot that you cant feel an indent in. it also is maybe 1/8 the width of the seat thick maybe if that. will i need a valve job?

 

Lap it with some Clover and see....

If it laps all the way around, then no harm, no foul.

 

I have never done what sofa said but I would take it to a machine shop that you trust and ask

its probably not a good Idea to learn how to lap valves

Sofa how bout it

by the way its not a good idea to do all that work to a set of head without having them magnafluxed. it might of ran fine when you took it apart, that means nothing when it comes to a small crack that could cost you an entire motor

 

There are few things easier than lapping valves.... or more CRITICAL, not so much for sealing, though, as for quality control.

Here's the backyard hick's method.

Get some Clover, which is a real fine compound; NAPA usually has it; put a dab on the face of the valve you're going to use in that hole. DO NOT use the Permatex stuff you see everywhere, it is like GRAVEL, not compound. Put a drop of motor oil or a light smear of grease on the valve stem. Put the valve in the head. Chuck a drill up GENTLY to the valve stem, above the keeper groove. Spin the valve at low RPMs (just a few hundred RPMs) for 3-5 seconds while pulling GENTLY on the drill. Unchuck the drill. Clean both the valve and the seat with a cloth moistened in lacquer thinner. Observe the pattern on the valve and on the seat.

Ideally you want to see a nice uniform band about .030" - .050" wide all the way around both the valve and the seat, more or less centered on the wide (center) angle of your multi-angle valve job. If the band is not uniform all the way around on the seat, then the seat is not concentric to the guide, and will leak and should be re-done. If the band is not uniform on the valve, then the valve is bent and will leak, and should be thrown away and replaced.

 

my heads are fine i know they dont have cracks. that method is interesting not sure if ill try it ill see how it turns out. ill try and take a picture of the spot i just tapped the other day tonight.

 

is there some way of checking a head for cracks that I am unaware of or are you going by the car ran fine before I took it apart method

not trying to be a jerk but i really want to know!

 

machine shop?