O-Ring grooves in head...
 

Can anybody recommend a machine shop trhat could cut O-Ring groovrs into an inline, six-cylinder cast iron head in my area (centrtal Arkansas)? This thing weighs 84 pounds and I don't really want to have to pay a king's ransom in shipping on it if I can avoid it.

Any help will be appreciated.

Bill, in Conway, Arkansas

Re: O-Ring grooves in head...
 

Isky makes an affordable tool for the do-it-yourselfer. It cuts the groove in the block using the bore as a guide. Otherwise any shop should be able to handle it either to the block or head in your area. Not a complicated process.

Re: O-Ring grooves in head...
 

PM Jeff Colvert on the forum here. I'm sure he could hook you up.

Re: O-Ring grooves in head...
 

what happened bill?did it pop a gasket already?

Re: O-Ring grooves in head...
 

Bill -

Call Johnny Case at Case Machine and ask him. He knows lots of machine shop people around the state. Also, somebody in LR has an Isky tool because the drag boat people used to do that a lot on aluminum head BBCs. Call Leonard at Auto Sports Center 501-375-7223.

Re: O-Ring grooves in head...
 

It seems the biggest problem comes when a machine shop isn't careful enough to keep the groove depth uniform.

Re: O-Ring grooves in head...
 

Jeff, the block is already installed in the car. I just want to do rthe head.

Re: O-Ring grooves in head...
 

Thanks, Cobra; I need to talk to him, anyway...

Re: O-Ring grooves in head...
 

Nope; just looking down the road at the time when I have 25+-pounds of boost and that is a real possibility.

I should have thought about that before the block went into the engine bay...

20/20 hindsight... :(

Re: O-Ring grooves in head...
 

I'll keep that in mind; thanks for the tip!!!

Re: O-Ring grooves in head...
 

You should be able to put a grooves in the block with the Isky GrooveOmatic while the engine is in the car. Vary small radius required and simple to use.

Re: O-Ring grooves in head...
 

Cutting the head is different from the block,the Isky tool everyone is talking about is for the block ONLY not the head. BHJ makes tool for heads has plate similar to torque plate that bolts to head to locate cutter assm.
You can cut head on boring bar or mill but you have to have a way to center it or locate so you can cut the grooves in the correct place,when you do the block you locate off cylinder bores like you do when you bore cylinders,the head does'nt have a way to locate where to cut.
Someone that is real good on bridgeport w/ dro could map the bore centers w/dowels as reference point then transfer that to head and locate bore centers and cut the grooves,but it would be big job to do that way.

I don't know what kind six you are workin on But if it has same bore centerline as a V-8 someone has plate for to cut receiver grooves then could possibly adapt to use on 6 cyl.
Mike Taylor 3601