Head... Is this normal???

[marcelo_caz]

Here is the story... last week I blew a head gasket... coolant flew everywhere.. and all that non-cool stuff.
so I started taking the head off to replace the headgasket and get resurfaced, and finally I got the head off.

but something scared me.

here are the pictures.

The pistons are not flat straight and they have too much loose carbon on it.

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And here are the valves... they are completly rusted. only on the exahust side.

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Tomorrow morning the head is going to the shop to get it resurfaced, but those valves are getting me worried.

Is all that normal or not?
what is all that means?

 

[JusMX141]

While the head's off, you're foolish not to change the valve seals and lap the valves into the head using compound.

The red color on the chamber isn't unusual.....do you use any type of octane booster or fuel additive regularly? Possibly a red-dyed race fuel?

 

[marcelo_caz]

I changed my valve seals few months ago.

and I always use premium gas on the car (when I race once in a while I use a boost octane)

So the valves been rusted like that and pistons the way it is, is something that I shouldnt worry about it?

 

[redline2k6]

the guys down here take a wire brush attachment for a drill and some good old mopar combustion chamber cleaner....carb clean will work and clean em as best you can with the drill mine turned out well got alot of the carbon off

 

[JusMX141]

Prior to switching my motocross bikes over to race fuel back in the day, I used to run octane booster in premium gas. The crown of my piston as well as my spark plugs would always have a reddish carbon on them from the octane boost.

 

[91tizzy]

yeah man your wiggin over normalcy....looks fine.... and the carbon buildup will go away once it see's some real boost....not to worry....get the head gone through though again....valve job etc. and throw some studs at it while your in there with an mls or whichever gasket you choose to run. And if you want clean the piston dishes as much as you can and those dents in the piston top you are scared of are called valve reliefs...which are completely normal

 

[marcelo_caz]

oh ok... got it now.
My head came back from the machine shop today, and the pressure test was good, it got it resurfaced because it was a little warped, but the valves were not good.
So I've been thinking, sinse I wanted to built my engine, now I think its the time... and if gonna gonna do it, ill go big.
Im gonna get the 1mm oversized valve, new forged pistons (wesico maybe) with a 0.04 or 0.06 bored + eagle rods.

and later on when I have some money Ill do the rest (that doesn't need to remove the head).

 

[dnhieu]

just replace the head gasket and ride man! its too simple to do a head gasket job to tear the WHOLE motor down for a rebuild. also get some water/meth injection to clean the tops of them pistons you got!