[86gter]

finally pulled the head off and found some not so happy stuff.
In the pics you will see 3 bolts from 1 side of the head coated.
The gasket had blockages in the water ports.
The head itself seemed blocked also.

the cam has ridges on the edges of some lobes, is this shot?

my question about the head is should i trust the head and have it refurbed hoping it was the head gasket seeping or should i buy a refurbed head?
thank you for your input

[8notch8]

wow, looks just like mine....i just replaced the head gasket on mine and it all looks the same, I had to scrape some crap out of the water passages as well. Runnin fine now, but as far as refurbishing...the only way to know is to have the head magnafluxed first to check for cracks, if no cracks, then yes id say have it refurbished (assuming new valve guides, seals, cam, etc...)

[md89stang]

I realize it's a bit late, but here's my take on your head/cam situation. First, since the head is already off, having the valve seats and valve guides redone is a great idea at this time. Second, I'd recommend tossing the old cam and followers (perhaps lifters, too!) and going with a ranger roller cam - your cam has visible wear already and will only get worse. Clean off the bolts good (use a wire brush, thread chaser, etc) and then wipe them down with a light oil. Loosen all the gunk you can from the water passages, and then a good flush of the cooling system is in order after the motor is back together and running smooth.
Good Luck!

[86gter]

nope not too late, i am still going to use this motor in something since i got a 92 motor for the car.

thanks for the info and tips