I’m on track to own every type known to man.
The latest one is really awesome!
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That last on looks slick! Out of stock at CIP1 up here. I’m on notification. I have an old twirl one like the one on the left in your photo. The only thing I like about it is it keeps the spring compressed while I fart around with tapping on the top of it to get the keepers freed up.
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Jbugs has the bench model at a nice price
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I put my heads together tonight and the new compressor is awesome. I made two slight modifications. First I taped a couple of MDF shims to the things the valves rest on. This minimizes how far the valves fall into the head before you put the spring on.
I have been tucking the lever under my armpit, so I have two hands for the keepers. I wrapped a towel around it for comfort.
The 8 valves went really quickly, and no frustration.
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I would like to lap an exhaust valve in place per Savvy. Can you recommend a compressor tool? I have the table top compressor but I dont want to remove the head unless I absolutely have to. Getting the exhaust manifold back on is a tough job.
If you don’t have the exhaust removed, how will you get to the valve face? Through the spark plug holes? I don’t have a good answer on what compressor to use. You would need to use compressed air in the cylinder and probably make a lever to hook onto the rocker stud or something.
The one second from the left of my picture might work, but I thought it sucked.
Mike Busch from Savvy Aviation has a video on YouTube where he laps a valve in place on a lycomming or continental. I have Savvys analysis service and they recommended after looking at the boroscope pics that I lap one of the exhaust valves in place…of course easier said than done. Fortunately the valve is very early stage. Pulling the head, doing the job on the bench, and putting the head back on will take a few hours… getting the pipes back on is the big job. I suspect I’m in for bloody knuckles…
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I know of the video but have not watched it. I did watch a hangar neighbor do it on his O200. He used my lapping compound and cord. I’ve gotten a lot better at exhaust R&R, but I don’t have a turbo.
Yeah the exhaust is never fun…
What the cool guys do:
- Buy a new set of heads and chuck them on.
- Rebuild the original heads with new valves.
Even cooler is buying or borrowing valve seat cutters for step 2.
VW heads are consumables, not heirlooms to be passed onto the grandkids.
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That’s a good idea. I do have 1 spare.
Peter
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For nut jobs like me, I’m switching to buying new heads and rebuilding them before I use them. The EMPI machining quality is not the best.
Hi Peter. I would not recommend lapping a VW valve in place.
I have done the rope trick and lapping valves in place on both a Lycoming 0290 and an O540. Lycoming and Continentals are relatively easy to do this on due to the sheer size of the jugs, location and size of the spark plug holes. It is easy to see with a bore scope up the bottom plug hole and feeding some lapping compound on the valve from the top plug hole. Even so there is always the worry of not washing out all of the lapping compound when done.
Sometimes this trick works, but not always and you end up repeating it.
The VW spark plug holes are way too small and in the wrong location to do this right. Also the amount of work involved in doing this trick is the same as removing the head and doing the properly in the first place.
Having a spare set of heads is the way to go 
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That was my thought too, but if you give it a go Peter I’d like to see the pictures, video, and writeup!
A good friend often said “The hard way is usually easiest.”
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I’m gonna order the heads. Curious, do you replace all valves each time you remove the heads, or have you been replacing them as needed? I may order a bunch of valves as well.
Peter
I’ve done both. They are pretty cheap.
I sent you a PM too.
You mention rebuilding the new heads. Out of the box? What have you been doing to them?
I received new heads from Sonex, very quick order.
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Documented here!
Edit: as a minimum clean up the casting as shown here. This is post 5 from the thread above.