Cyl. Head milling (resurfacing) limits?

[SKOLJACK]

I just pulled my head off last Friday (2-20-04) because the person I got the car from had overheated the engine from loss of coolant (waterpump) and noticed that the head had already been machined .009". Can the head be machined any more? Will I have to use a special head gasket (.043",.050",.062") to keep the compression ratio correct? Where would you guys recommend purchasing a cyl. head gasket kit & water pump? And since the engine got hot, do you think the piston rings (oil) are stuck and may cause smoking?

 

[psychlow]

I don't have my reference manual to tell you the limits right now, but here's another thing to add to this:

Compression isn't the only thing you have to worry about as far as milling/machining heads is concerned on overhead cam engines like ours. When you reduce the overall height of the cam relative to the crankshaft, you're also throwing valve timing off (although, it is by small values.)

If you are able to machine the head further, I would recommend using a HG that'll get you to stock head height. Alternatively, adjustable cam gears might be something to invest in.