Subject: [alfa] V6 valve guides

[RonHorowitz <RonHorowitz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> I'm just wondering how many of you have replaced your own valve
>guides?

Here's one. (Of course, I've replaced other people's, too, and been paid
for it, so maybe I don't count?)

> It burns a little oil and puffs a bit a WOT.

Hmmm... Only at WOT or does it smoke when you fire it up in the morning,
too?

>I hate the idea of
>going through
>all the work of pulling the heads and not doing seals and guides

You don't have to pull the heads to do the seals. Pull the cams and plugs,
bring the pistons up to TDC, put rope in the holes if you have to, and take
the valve springs off.

>Can it be done relatively well with typical tools?

Define typical tools. For the seals, you'll need a spring compressor, but
that's about it as far as "atypical" tools.

>Just
>a matter of punching out the old, punching in the new,

For punching out the guides, you can make do with whatever. For seating
them to the correct installed depth, you'll either need the factory tool or
access to a lathe to make your own (in which case you can vary the
specification to suit yourself.)

> reaming to size,

I'd recommend honing rather than just reaming

>hand
>lapping the valves?  Or would the seats require re-cut?

You'll probably want to recut the seats. If so you'll need a seat grinding
rig. I bought a pretty nice Siuox seat grinding set-up and a Van Dorn valve
grinder.from a mechanic who no longer did valve jobs (all he does now is
"driveability".) You'll want to buy good used seat and valve grinders if
you can find them as these items are _quite_ expensive new. Kwikway,
Snap-On, and Serdi are also common makes....

Hope that helps!

RON
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