Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[AndrewA60]

I've just started cleaning up the head from the 1622cc B series engine from my 1959 Australian Austin A60 Cambridge.
The head looked nice until I had a close look at the exhaust valve seats which have worn down around 1mm. The inlet seats look like they were machined yesterday. The engine was running OK 30 years ago this car was taken off the road, so do I just clean up the seats as is, or get them re-cut, or get inserts fitted?
By the way I think the Australian Austin A60 Cambridge is an A55 Mk II elsewhere.
Any advice appreciated.
Andrew

[badhuis]

Even with recessed valve seats an engine will run pretty good. Not as effective maybe as an engine without the recession because the compression will be lower.

When I daily ran my Triumph 2000, and installed LPG, valve recession went in very fast. This is typical of running LPG, it wears out the valve seats much faster if the original "soft" metal valve seats are still in the engine.
OK - I drove a lot then (2002, approx 700 miles per week) and I needed to adjust the exhaust valves every weekend.... until it could not be adjusted anymore. I removed the cylinder head and the recession was very visible. New hardened seats and no more problems.

The valve heights should be the same but the exhaust valves stick out a lot more meaning recessed valve seats:




The smaller valves are the exhaust valves. The recessed seat is clearly visible:


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a car stops being fun when it becomes an investment

[Ray White]

Personally, I would cross that bridge when I came to it. If you don't have a problem, why try to fix it?

[AndrewA60]

That exhaust seat is more than twice as deep as mine. Maybe I'm good for a few more miles! Was getting new seats straight forward? (and cheap?)

[badhuis]

I am with Ray. It depends on how much you plan to use the car. If only for shows or the Sunday drive, I would not bother.

However if you plan to take the head off it is something I always would do (especially if the seats already have some recession). Valve seat inserts are cheap and the cost for a shop to do this also not too much - I guessed I paid around 200 pounds altogether maximum. That was 23 years ago! But I cannot imagine it will be expensive as it is an easy job that is done frequently at machining shops.
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a car stops being fun when it becomes an investment

[alastairq]

My only concern [since it happened to me once] with valve seat inserts is, if the workmanship or quality turns out to be 'dubious,', the seat will drop out!

Not a concern for those with sidevalve engines, of course.
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Dellow Mk2, 1951 built, reg 1952.
Fiat 126 BIS
Cannon special [1996 registered. Built in 1950's]
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Ford Pop chassis, Ashley 1172 bodyshell, in pieces.

[Ray White]

[badhuis]

[Ray White]

Probably just the way I look at things but if the seat is 'overhead' would it not be more likely to fall out than a side valve insert?

[alastairq]

[Vintage Fly Guy]

OK, let's look at this logically and honestly. How many years and miles did it take the exhaust valve to recede 1mm? How old are you now, and how many more miles do you realistically intend to drive the car?

Sorry if that sounds a bit brutal, but it's a point of view I've had to face myself recently. I'm 61 this year, so, realistically, that probably gives me another 15 years or so of reasonably active life and driving classic cars for pleasure, rather than modern cars for necessity (such as getting to the shops). Anything after that will be a bonus for me... and given the way that Christmases seem to be coming around quicker and quicker, I'm under no illusion as to where I am time wise!

If you're thinking about it from your point of view, then a simple regrind and reassembly might be the right choice? If you're looking at it from the car's point of view, then it probably depends on factors such as what the budget is, how structurally and mechanically sound the rest of the car is, and where refurbishing the cylinder head sits in the list of priorities with those factors in mind.

[AndrewA60]

Good point. I'm 63 with hair receded much further than my exhaust valves! I think a simple regrind will see me out.

[Rusty]

[alastairq]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/135529848862?_skw=valve+seat+cutting+tool&itmmeta=01JT2VVQYMSBJQNCY424HWVRMP&hash=item1f8e35601e:g:wVIAAOSwlzZktThH&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1c0Lza%2Fz6nRruaF4AzK06TbXYzTL1hEa88Nw%2B1g8jX%2BQohWnaudxuiCaeZ1ihxQ9VADtdqOJ2esnOUimXPUGuczn0jIcLoIpVCqgBaPlFbizlTMwcS3Z2%2BxYX%2Fh6Zsg0MoURRXGE0QwPmOJkL6MSmaOY2H7RjHExTK2KNhaozdvLTh6O1KAEZREtwlCVZuvdaSExbCv9Qw6GGeqm%2BuaxjTvyehOFaMvwX1OD9nJD5faqLcvspAbSMVCkoHBDPA6efY%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR8j_7tvQZQ


Above is but one example I plucked from ebay.

It's not as if one is going to set oneself up as an engineering workshop, is it?

If the tool lasts long enough to do 8 valve seats, then it has to be worth a punt, eh?

If one can do half a dozen heads with the same tool, one is in 'profit!'

I don't know the actual seat sizes needed offhand, but a trip round ebay for a cheap seat cutting tool must be worth a try?

Who knows, one ight even be able to cut a nice neat three-angle valve seat? Then one would obtain enough power not to dream of fitting an MGB engine, eh?
_________________
Dellow Mk2, 1951 built, reg 1952.
Fiat 126 BIS
Cannon special [1996 registered. Built in 1950's]
----------------------------------------------
Ford Pop chassis, Ashley 1172 bodyshell, in pieces.

[norustplease]

I had always thought that an extreme overheating event was the cause of inserts to drop out, presumably because the head expands enough to release them. If you have cooked your engine to that degree, this is probably the least of your worries.
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1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV