Vhpd head is it possible to skim

[Brett Nield]

Hi everyone
R400 K 2005 has blown head gasket but just showing the slightest of pitting so is it possible to give a minimal skim. Had a lot of conflicting stories from the paddock area.

[DVandrews]

If you have pitting on the fire ring then you should peen the area first followed by a skim, this consolidates the material and eradicates porosity which is a major cause of HGF. Before doing this have the head hardness tested to ensure it has not gone soft.

A good assessment of how much can be skimmed can be had by measuring the depth of the dimple on the inlet side of the combustion chamber between the valves , if this is less than 10 thou then the head is getting near the limit for skimming, if you go too far then you will need a shim to recover the CR to something sensible.

Dave

[Brett Nield]

Thanks Dave Very helpful as always