rossman

Well, bad news. I started cleaning up the old gasket material and noticed that one of PO's had scratched up the deck pretty badly. The deck needs to be resurfaced. I'm guessing this can only be done by disassembling the bottom end. I may just go ahead and rebuild my f54...which also needs to be resurfaced.

I'm looking for someone to do the entire short block. I will consider doing the assembly myself if I can't find a anybody I feel comfortable with locally.

Anybody know a good engine rebuilder in Houston that i can trust with my F54 short block?

I put the head on temporarily and they did not hit but I didn't turn the engine since the timing chain wasn't installed. I think it's really close though because some people have reported that they do. My block has been bored over .75 mm so there is a little more clearance.

See Tony D's first post on this thread. It seems like a good idea to notch the cylinders anyway to help flow into the cylinders.

Thanks for the pics! I am a visual guys so seeing that really helps. How long have you been running your engine with the notches? I will be running fairly high boost (14 - 15 psi) on cast .075 over pistons. I am a little worried about burning up the rings. Then again, if I trash the l24 I will have more incentive to rebuild my l28 turbo block

I'm being a little anal about this I guess. I just don't want to screw it up! I was trying to figure out how to locate the notches along the circumference of the cylinder. It looks like they should be slightly off center. I guess I will just sharpie mark the l28/p90 head gasket using the dowels in the head, then transfer the dowels/gasket to the block and eye-ball it from there. Unfortunately the used l24 head gasket that came off the engine is out of round. ozconnection - I think Tony D means that the notches should not touch the gasket when installed. You advice about the piston ring is right in line with "How to Modify..." Thanks for your help guys!

I am building an l24t engine with a p90 head. I want to notch the tops of the cylinders to clear the larger valves and hopefully improve flow a little. I am trying to figure out how to locate the valve notches/bevels on the cylinders so that they line up with the unshrouded valve cut-outs. I tried using just the head gasket but it didn't seem precise enough. Any body have a technique they would like to share? Thanks, Ross

The "How to Modify..." book says to use Nissan gaskets dry. Now you got me wondering.

I think this is true only for l28 heads on l28 blocks. I am using a p90 head gasket on my turbo'd l24/p90 setup. If I use an l24 head gasket, the top of the gasket will be exposed to the combustion chamber.

Keep checking back and it will show up. TnA means Temporarily Not Available.

You can get the other part at an auto parts store but you should be able to reuse the one you got. Is it leaking? Just soak the threads in PB Blaster. When I removed mine last, luckily the bolt broke at the head leaving a nice shaft to get vice grips on. Now that I think about it, I don't think spraying PBB under the head really does anything since the threads are much deeper in the part. You might want to try soaking it at the base where it mates to the front cover.

Yes it is! I bought a valve spring compressor today so you can guess what I'm gonna do. I actually have a new set of Nissan valve guide seals in case I muck one up. I don't have the little condoms to protect the seals from the grooves at the end of the stem. I wonder if heat shrink tube would work?? While I'm at it I think I will un-shroud the valves a tad and smooth out the rough cast surfaces.

I have seen them on ebay. As 100dollarZ said I am sure someone would sell you one cheap. I have an extra but it is for a 240 and I believe it's different. If you end up replacing it make sure you soak the bolts overnight with PB Blaster. Even then, at least one bolt is almost guaranteed to snap off when you try to remove it. You might want to invest in a set of easy-outs our you are at it.

Should I be concerned about solvents cleaning off the grease on the valve stems? The head has white (lithium?) grease on the valve stems where it engages the valve guides. I assume the grease is there for initial start-up only.

How about flushing the head with water then blowing it dry?

Yeah, yeah, I need the inside of my head cleaned for leaving the bag open...

I did something really stupid today. While porting my intake I accidentally left the bag that was supposed to be covering my freshly rebuilt head open and exposed to hundreds of tiny little aluminum chips. Of course the ports were face up so lots of the chips got in behind the valves and stuck to the white grease around the valve stems. After reciting every expletive in the book, several times over, at the top of my lungs, I started to think how I could get the chips out of the head. I ended up blowing out all the ports, springs, lifters, etc. with compressed air. I'm starting to think this isn't good enough. I can't see any chips but with my luck there will be one little chip left...and there goes my head/engine. Any ideas how I can clean the head up without taking it apart?

Here is Rev B! Sorry for making it work! At least you know what you are doing! I have only seen a few flow diagrams so I'm pretty much just making this up as I go along...

Great write up! Sounds like a fun time.

Thanks for the suggestions. How about this one:

I don't know. I was slightly wider than a t3. Maybe a t4. I wasn't interested in making a custom exhaust manifold.

I have a low mileage l24/p30 that I am planning to turbo. I have a f54 that I'm going to rebuild but in the mean time I am going to have fun with the p30 turbo. I have all the parts I need to make the conversion: p90, zxt turbo manifold, he351, n42, avo 21x8x3 intercooler, 450cc injectors, ms2, lc-1, etc. Anybody out there running a similar setup? I am wondering what to expect.

I tried to go that route only to find out that the exhaust turbine flange is not a standard t3 like the older holsets.

I sketched up this diagram of the cooling system to help me visualize how the cooling system flows. I thought it might help other people here. Let me know if I screwed something up. Constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement are welcome and expected .