So I just got my heads and intake back from a shop to be cleaned. They obviously didn’t put any work into them besides dropping them into the hot bath. So I have to remove a bunch of caked on carbon buildup and even an intake gasket I forgot to take off. Other than that, there’s this white powder all over the valve springs and I was wondering if anyone knows what it is and how to clean it off safely. I’ve heard dish soap works and some elbow grease, I’d like to try that. The heads are cast iron and then I take is aluminum.
lastly, I noticed some minor cracks in the heads and am worried it might be a problem…should I be concerned? Or are they just small enough I can ride em out for a little longer until I have the budget for new heads(already in the plan but like 4-6 months down the line)

 

Valve springs go IN THE TRASH. No hesitation reservation or equivocation. No ifs ands buts or maybes. IN THE TRASH. White stuff on em makes no difference.

The exhaust "rotators" and those stupid useless "splash shields" are all still on there. IN THE TRASH. See "valve springs" above. IN THE TRASH.

Retainers & keepers, IN THE TRASH. Don't argue. IN THE TRASH.

Replace all that stuff.

The rest of it, looks like they baked the castings (got em brown hot, not quite red hot but close) but didn't wash em afterwards. Never went in the bath. No big deal though, nothing a trip to the quarter car wash won't fix.

Needless to say, heating the springs up like that, DESTROYED em. Not that they weren't already destroyed (they were), inadequate from the day the motor left the factory (they were), wore out from the last 10 miles let alone the last 150,000 (they were), they're GARBAGE. Only one possible destination. IN THE TRASH.

I'm not seeing any cracks in the heads at all. Not sure what you're talking about. The most usual, but of course not the only, place that they most often crack, is in the combustion chamber, between the valves. A place that MATTERS. It's not in the photos though.

Clean up the exh port surfaces with a flat file. A really big flat one. Hold it flat, so that it sits flat up against the head, and move it in a flat motion, so that everything stays flat. (did I mention "flat" anywhere? most important thing)

Looks great other than that. Ready for some machine work, like, a multi-angle valve job. Maybe some decent valves that aren't just valve-shaped putty objects like stock valves are.

 

I'm not real impressed with that shop. But maybe if they didn't actually do any work on the stuff it was at the bottom of their priority list. Car wash spray would probably clean them up. Would have done the job to start with actually.

 

It appears that the parts may have been run through an aqueous cleaner instead of a hot caustic dip. Unfortunately, the heads should have been disassembled before cleaning. Fortunately, since they weren't actually "cleaned" you NOW get your chance to disassemble and then clean them. It also appears that the intake was washed in the same manner and probably not neutralized after cleaning That's not the best process for aluminum.

The "cracks" shown in the photos seem to be residual detergent and surface contamination which has dried and cracked after shrinking. A thorough and proper cleaning will remove any of that and reveal what the condition truly is.

And I feel compelled to disagree with SFKD about those factory valve springs. He seems to be a bit harsh regarding their usefulness. The original SBC 85 pound (on a good day) springs can be very useful. If you have a Dalton or Chamberlain overhead door operator with a chain drive, the operating arm connected to the door can be fitted with two large flat washers and one SBC valve spring as an overtravel cushion. One pair of small block heads will provide enough springs to fix up your door over a dozen times - Even more if they were from a V-8 small block instead of a V-6. I've also seen them fitted with rubber feet and installed under a vacuum pump for vibration isolation with great success.

 

Got a pic of the garage door opener mod? I have a Chamberlain chain drive.

 

I've since upgraded to a door detent spring from a GM truck hinge. I think they are actually better than the old SCB generic stock valve springs, possibly even for valves.
[img]www.wwdsltd.com/files/OverheadDoorOperatorDrive07.jpg[/img]