Saab Link Forums banner

New Part for the Toy (Cylinder Head with special parts)

3K views 23 replies 7 participants last post by  DC_SAAB 
#1 ·
It's been awhile since we had some real tech talk..or major discussions...somehow I noticed more personality discussions.., and aesthetics

So thought I'd mention what I've been up to lately when my ng900 turbo. If anyone would like to do some light reading.

Did a head swap for a few extra ponies. Running a solid cam follower head with volvo 850 valves, and volkswagen springs for 10k rpm if I ever need it, and using non-blowable copper head gasket.

Anyone interested in the general task for replacing the head...here goes; install is generally the reverse.., and after all the right tools...should take no more than a weekend. Did a few pics...but thought I'd post just the hard core facts.

1. pull the fuse to your fuel pump, and start the car....run out of fuel clears the fuel rails. pull the battery negative cable
2. drain fluids
3. pull the throttle body cover, and intake filter housing
4. pull applicable electrical connections, fuel regulator, rail, and fuel injectors
5. pull the intake manifold
6. pull the applicable vacuum lines and electrical cable, DI cassette, and delivery pipe
7. pull thermostat and the hoses to housing
8. pull the downpipe from turbo housing
9. pull the turbo from the exhaust manifold
10. loosen the serpentine belt
11. remove the power steering pump and keep the hose connected
12. pull the exhaust manifold
13. remove hoses running to the head
14. remove the oil filler tube
15. remove the head cover
16. remove the spark plugs
17. setup timing marks and make sure you're at top dead center on #1 piston
18. mark the chain near the timing marks
19. remove the timing chain tensioner
20. remove the cam sprockets
21. remove the head bolts
22. check for anything that may be still connected to the head.

As mentioned in the above..install is generally the reverse...
The copper head gasket was simple...spray it down with copper sealant, let it sit over-night.., then spray it down and let it dry to a slight tacky feel.., place it on the block and sit the head on it overnight with the bolts semi-tightened. Torque your head bolts in a circular pattern from the middle head bolt.., then make another pass to check the torque.., then spin the bolt another quarter turn or so...using the same torque sequence.

(edit) the bolt is actually turned an additional 90 degrees after the 2nd torque sequence.

Use the setup time to install the other parts back on .., and would be a good time to replace thermostat.., head cover gaskets., pcv gasket.., and inspect/replace the serpentine, and water hoses.

Review for comment.., and holler back ..

regards
 
See less See more
#4 ·
iwantaviggen said:
so where did the head come from? more info on what you did please!

yes lost of personal discussions lately....
Damn second that, not going to get into why. I think some more people need gfs.

any who; Let us know about exactly what you used, this sounds like a good mod to do. Also where did you aquire the copper head gasket? I just replaced mine last week thought my head was leaking false alarm. Post up some pictures and some specs onthe parts. Did you get it dynoed do you feel a big increase in power if so where. Share more info
 
#6 ·
iwantaviggen said:
i belive saab savior has the copper gaskets...

i have a g/f hur names TSL
Ya i checked Savior they have it on their site but i remember calling a while back and they said they did not carry it anymore. Maybe they do now or just never took it off the site.
 
#9 ·
Hey Frank just realized that DC saab was you. That head made it sound like you where just pulling parts from other cars and making some insane head out of knowledge. How much did you buy the head from abbot? I did not know abbot was using some springs from a VW and valves from a Volvo. Kind of thought they would have used all custom parts for a race head not chop parts from other cars. But I guess what ever works.

As far as the install goes a few steps that you had might not be necessary.

8. pull the downpipe from turbo housing

You don’t need to touch the turbo at all, never mind the down-pipe. You’re not dropping anything from the bottom of the engine. If you’re installing a new turbo you would have to do this.

9. pull the turbo from the exhaust manifold

You don’t need to touch the turbo at all, its supported from underneath with a bracket connecting to the bock. Just unscrew the bolts that are holding the turbo to the manifold.

Show some pics and dyno results. Nice work
 
#11 ·
snow4_1man said:
Hey Frank just realized that DC saab was you. That head made it sound like you where just pulling parts from other cars and making some insane head out of knowledge. How much did you buy the head from abbot? I did not know abbot was using some springs from a VW and valves from a Volvo. Kind of thought they would have used all custom parts for a race head not chop parts from other cars. But I guess what ever works.

As far as the install goes a few steps that you had might not be necessary.

8. pull the downpipe from turbo housing

You don't need to touch the turbo at all, never mind the down-pipe. You're not dropping anything from the bottom of the engine. If you're installing a new turbo you would have to do this.

9. pull the turbo from the exhaust manifold

You don't need to touch the turbo at all, its supported from underneath with a bracket connecting to the bock. Just unscrew the bolts that are holding the turbo to the manifold.

Show some pics and dyno results. Nice work
Dan....

It was the only way at the time for me to pull the exhaust manifold over the long studs....My turbo has some slight modifications..that I don't want to disturb much...

I'll follow-up with more info on this later..
 
#12 ·
iwantaviggen said:
so where did the head come from? more info on what you did please!

yes lost of personal discussions lately....
I purchased Abbotts (another Rob) racing head.., and they gave me a run down of what the actual mods were..

Apparently really simple to do in addition to the port and polish job any machine shop can do..., they used the springs from a Volkswagen (yea I scratched my head too) for the 10k rpm.., bigger valves from the 850, and solid lifters so you don't get flutter on higher revs..., I'm still tweaking because of the required follower clearances...

went a little over kill.., with the bigger injectors.., larger regulator, and a few other goodies ...so I'm slowly retuning as I go.. she fires up...with the sound of a crazy lumpy sounding v8....dayum... :shock: :shock:

Got the copper gasket from Abbott after waiting for months for Savior to come up with his. Saab Savior has his on sale now for about $85.00 I think.., got lucky and only paid $75.00 for mine.

I'll finish her up soon... and keep you posted..
 
#14 ·
sucks to be me right now...

during my adjustments of the cam followers.., I noted a slight difference on the cam after excessive tapping.

Abbott sold me a really nice head with big 850 volvo valves.., cut, ported and polished in all the right places...with solid lifters. Only they forgot they put on a lumpy cam....way too much lift..... = bent valves. The head was expected to provide a low and broader hp/torque range than I already have...from hi 2k....up to 8k...was the goal. But my software would have limited me to 7k which is cool.

For those that want to know how to raise the lift on your cam....you can have a machinist mill down the low side of the cam, and then add a shim/spacer to the follower to push out the valves further.. The effect is increased torque...(but a longer duration lift...provides more horsepower at higher rpms).

Had I had the dished out pistons to accomodate the higher lift..would not have been a problem..

They are making ammends with me.., realizing they didn't exactly check the fit on a turbo'd car with clay on the pistons. I should have.., but didn't.

just goes to show you..., always check no matter what it is.., and not to always trust what you're buying from anyone.

Pics to follow....just a little pissed and cooling off for now...
 
#16 ·
cool...and thanks Tweek...could use a few laughs.

I could have just pulled the cams then removed the shims.., but after checking the clearance hearing how bad it tapped, then running a compression check..definately looking like bend valves.

Most likely have it out by the weekend if everything goes as planned. takes a couple hours to do, just tired of dropping fluids.

Give me a holler when you make it to town...
 
#19 ·
I would have also thought the same...but yea..that's the damage to the piston tops caused by the valves.

Shouldn't be much longer now....staying with solid followers and larger valves, and 10k springs...only will go with stock cam as previously advised.

keep ya posted...
 
#21 ·
The race cam was created by milling down the low side of a stock cam, and then adding shim spacers to increase the lift on the solid follower. When you combine the larger valves with slightly longer stems....voila.

Still kicking myself for trusting too much in the "experts". Its a lesson I've learned before and this was a big reminder..you can never be too careful.
 
#24 · (Edited)
Let's just say Maptun no longer provides any more upgrades for her.. flowed head with extras and the B234 block complicates their shelf tunes now. Looking at "E" vs Meth, with a slightly bigger turbo.. should be interesting.

Most of the tuning now is more custom now.. With the occasional dyno run to see where she's at..
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top