I remember when I bought my 67.5 2000 roadster, there was a problem with it.
So after checking it out, I removed the head and found that the head had a
melted cavity between the 2nd and 3rd cylinders. It was a groove that
connected them both, so that compression was lost between them both. Well I
took the head to a machine shop in Whittier, California. I was unfamiliar
with with overhead cams at that time. Instead of filling in the groove, and
then milling the head, the "MACHINIST" milled till he removed most of the
combustion chamber in the Aluminum Head. In order to compensate for his
"EXPERT" work, I installed two head gaskets, and had cam tower shims made.
When the car was in running condition, it ran the best I could imagine. I
took a trip to Las Vegas from Northridge, Ca. in July, and encountered no
problems, other than my size. It was hard for me to drive with the window
rolled up. I needed to hang my arm out the window because my shoulders are
wider than the average Japanese person that they must have used as a model
for the interior. I think that crack in the head was due to the incorrect
bolt tightening sequence that was used to secure the head to the block.
I like the idea of studs, after the discussion about bolts verses studs. I
see why the Corvair has used that concept. Or maybe because the bolts would
just tear the threads out of the aluminum. I did not know the Roadster came
with a cast iron head. Or did I misinterpret information, and they all came
with aluminum heads from the factory.
Patrick P. Castronovo
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