On 17 Jan 1997 13:29:26 -0500 Matt Liggett
<mliggett@seven.ucs.indiana.edu> writes:
>..... Just before winter, I got my head back from the machine shop (for
my
>1275 Midget) and put it in my garage. Moron that I am, I did not oil
>it, treat it, seal it or anything. I just put it on a shelf.
>
>Now, it's all rusty on the mating surface (where it mates to the
>block). I have oiled it now to keep this from getting any worse. The
>other surfaces were painted by the shop. What should I do now?
I'm assuming that the valves and springs are in place and the valves are
all closed. If so, no problem with the working bits, the seats should
still be clean.
Drop by your local Ace hardware store and pick up an eight inch
rectangular wet stone, the thing usually used for knife sharpening. One
side will be coarse grained, the other side will be fine grained. Squirt
a glob of your favorite engine oil on the coarse side and proceed to give
the flat surface of the head a good rub down. In about a minute it will
be clean and shiny again, still perfectly flat with almost no material
removed. Do remember to wash the head well to remove the grit before
installation.
The wet stone is a cheap tool, good for a lifetime of this sort of thing.
I keep one in reserve just for these flat surfaces and nothing else, so
it stays flat.
Barney Gaylord
1958 MGA
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