guide to rebuilding an RB30 engine?

[VLC86]

hey fellas.

Well found out today my car has blown a head gasket. with low compression in cylinders 2 and 3. I am considering taking the car off the road for a few months to fix the many problems plaguing it.

Im interested in doing the head gasket fix myself, im unsure of any damage that could have occured to the engine while driving with a blown head gasket, so i thought that i might spend those few months rebuilding the engine and fixing the head gasket all at once

Im wondering if there is a guide somewhere with instructions on how to rebuild the motor, im not after crazy power figures, Just a cruising car. Iv got an ellery's manual and alot of commitment so what's the best way to go about this?

Any information you have would help, i have a few weeks before uni is finished and i am completely free...

[tooslow]

save your money n buy a 2nd motor and try to put that in instead 2 me it just not worth it rebuilding your motor if your not after power in the end you will find it cheaper to fit another motor then to rebuild it

[VLC86]

save your money n buy a 2nd motor and try to put that in instead 2 me it just not worth it rebuilding your motor if your not after power in the end you will find it cheaper to fit another motor then to rebuild it

I considered that, and it is still definately an option. But i love the idea of knowing the car has new parts and therefore less things to go wrong.

Would it be possible just to fit another RB30 head? If any damage has been done to the engine then it would have been to the head im guessing?

[tooslow]

I considered that, and it is still definately an option. But i love the idea of knowing the car has new parts and therefore less things to go wrong.

Would it be possible just to fit another RB30 head? If any damage has been done to the engine then it would have been to the head im guessing?

yeah that could be done but keep me up to date when you take the motor apart cos it hard to help yeh if you dnt no if the bottom end is good or not

[VLC86]

well i spoke to the guys who inspected the engine.. No damage to the bottom end, and i was quoted $2166 for a reconditioned head and fit it all in. Im going to get a quote an an acl rebuild kit and possibly do the work myself.

[tooslow]

oh yeah i forgot to tell u that the rb heads are pricey well enjoy working on it cos it a pick of a job tho

[VLC86]

yeah they sure are. Im leaning more towards the rebuild. Or possibly droping another engine in. Anything else i should look for if im doing the rebuild?

[nasty1]

lol they see you comin with price on that head....

strip head ur self
take it to a good shop..

will be half what you said easy



i payed $150 to pressure test,clean and face the head.
all i did was lap my existing valves with lapping paste when i got head home
and assembled it myself.

buy a gregorys vl manual it shows you all you need to know.
changing a vl head is a peice of cake the only part that annoys me is stupid timing belt,harmonic balancer and timing cover lol

[VLC86]

lol they see you comin with price on that head....

strip head ur self
take it to a good shop..

will be half what you said easy



i payed $150 to pressure test,clean and face the head.
all i did was lap my existing valves with lapping paste when i got head home
and assembled it myself.

buy a gregorys vl manual it shows you all you need to know.
changing a vl head is a peice of cake the only part that annoys me is stupid timing belt,harmonic balancer and timing cover lol

Sounds pretty good to me. I might get a gregory's manual to, i already have a max ellery manual but it isn't really detailed on removing the head.

What does facing the head actually do?

[nasty1]

gives it a nice flat surface to seal to the block.

[cracker]

removing the head isnt that hard just keep ripping shit off untill it comes off.
follow what bow down said

remove your head get it inspected, reco'd and maybe slide a baby cam in ( $130 from wade) and put it back together.

[VLC86]

removing the head isnt that hard just keep ripping shit off untill it comes off.
follow what bow down said

remove your head get it inspected, reco'd and maybe slide a baby cam in ( $130 from wade) and put it back together.

Sweet... just wondering though, any difference between a turbo head and N/A head? A guy is selling a head off his turbo and curious if that would be better than getting mine recond?

I like the sound of that wade cam So reckon getting the head off, get it faced, cleaned and pressure tested and then put it back together (maybe with a few new parts along the way)?

Should this fix the probem of low compression in the 2nd and 3rd cylinders? and get it running smooth?

Cheers guys

Also, what do you need to get done to fit in a baby cam? Had a look around but didn't get an exact answer

[nasty1]

i had a wade 818b in my vl and rest of stuff was stock.

n/a and turbo heads are same....

it may fix problem.is your head gsake still ok.low comp could be compresion ring?

[cracker]

id tip yes.
mix water and oil, missing lossing coolant, low comp between pots. and being realistic its a standard n/a motor and i doubt youv been belting the shit out of it, very much doubt rings.

read up in your vl book about compression testing and various methods used to determine what it is.

get another head even, worth nothing, n/a turbo are the same.
send it off too get tested and new valve seats and valve guides. get the steam seals done too.
go and talk to wade cams, say uv got a n/a its pretty much stock id like alittle more poke while still maintaning nice street manners etc etc just something small
$120 is #### all, plus machining your lifter blocks $80 odd.
while its apart dont put the standard manifold back on throw a set of extractors on expect to pay $50 2nd hand, and find a nice exhaust.

enjoy it for what it is. and basic vl n/a with a little cam for a little bit more go that you were able to do your self.

[VLC86]

i had a wade 818b in my vl and rest of stuff was stock.

n/a and turbo heads are same....

it may fix problem.is your head gsake still ok.low comp could be compresion ring?

Much improvement with the cam? How lumpy was it at idle?

easy to check the compression rings if the heads off?

[nasty1]

check it whilst mtr is together.....

no lump.went hard made 200rwkw on just 10 psi,auto,600+nm of tourqe

[VLC86]

i had the compression checked for each of the cylinders. 2nd and 3rd were low. Not sure if thats what you mean.

I also spoke to a guy from wade cams today and he said basicaly for an N/A auto a baby cam isnt going to add much at all, i may as well keep my own one.

[nasty1]

yea i wouldnt bother modifying a n/a rb30

[VLC86]

yea i wouldnt bother modifying a n/a rb30

yep. not gonna waste my money if i cant notice a difference

[detox_nath83]

only modify it with a turbo setup FTW :P
Makes a diff i tell ya...

Once u go boost u dont go back lol
my thoughts.