Ferrari makes engine head with non-aligned bore holes

What frustrates me is the time it takes to rectify something that saved the first guy a few minutes but may take hours/days to make right after the fallout manifests itself. I'm not talking about the specific issue under discussion here, just jackleg mechanic (or home builder or plumber or electrician or AC contractor) shortcuts in general.

 

I was a Service Advisor for a certain GM brand back around the time frame you mentioned, and I would have to disagree... clogged injectors that needed to be replaced - or at the very least, flushed - all the time, interior trim pieces literally just falling out for no reason, lots of the paint sucked and would fade/degrade quickly, and so on.

Now - if you're talking about major mechanicals like overall engine & drivetrain integrity - things like that... then sure, I could possibly agree with you - but during that era, GM had plenty of flaws, basd on my experience seeing those cars come through the service drive every day.

 

Yes, talking about engines specifically. I worked in GM's largest engine facility (actually, at the time, largest in the world) and the push for near perfect quality was on strong. I'm speaking about manufacturing quality, not design quality.

 

I have emailed back and forth about the issue with the OP, but have not seen the heads. I don't know what the solution is going to be for him. I am sorry you want to know what I have learned over the years of doing this, but I am just not sharing it. It is how I pay my bills.
Perhaps I should refrain from posting, as I am creating more questions than answers.

 

I can't see where this would be a difficult issue to correct for any decent machine shop. It would take some custom machining but not a big deal.

 

Agreed about not posting. This forum is all about sharing. It is not as if all here are about to open a machine shop based on your "secrets".
There will be plenty of competent shops that will be able to solve the OP's issues, just not where he's at now.
A good friend likes to say "you don't need to know the tricks of the trade if you know the trade".
Nothing you do is rocket science, sir.

 

Wade, again, I respect how you make a living and I am not asking you to share any of your trade secrets.

Yes, this has got more confusing as it seemed like you were working on these exact heads.

 

Ross,

This is why techs come here then stop posting. Each person has his own reason for being here. To impart your own values is arrogant. Rocket science this is not but there are certainly tricks of the trade which are often hard fought and hard learned for which there is every reason to protect. It is enough to know that such a problem exists and that each owner might want to be aware of this "gotcha" and chose their engine builder accordingly.

Wade,

There are many of us who appreciate the heads up and the solution. Thanks for posting.

 

Which is why we are no longer privvy to the insights from Mr Helms and others. I recall Dave posting a while back referencing guide installation issues.

Without significantly more info from the OP, once again what might have become an informative thread has turned into personal chest pumping.

Wade, stick to our own forum, wink, wink.

 

I'm arrogant?
He's posting this, I know the answer but am not telling. He's refused to offer the solution you've thanked him for. Not in the spirit of the forum if you ask me.
Wade, If you want to keep your "secrets" perhaps its best not to mention them at all.

 

Tech forum for us in the unwashed masses catagory is such a joke. Time to go scale my racecar...

 

??? Chest Pumping? Informative thread???

This tread is nothing but speculation, and speculation from myself as well as none of us have seen the OP's heads.

I have posted some informative information of how factory heads are machined as I have first hand experience with that.

Wade does not want to release his hard earned and learned trade secrets - I fully respect that. I've asked Wade to post in reference to the problem - not the solution. Apparently he feels disclosing (what he feels the problem to be, or as he said "common") would also reveal the solution.

I will be fully rebuilding a set of heads soon and I will try and document the whole process and share it with the forum.

 

Here's a thought:

An anonymous newbie started this thread.

No pictures and really no specific information.

 

Not sure what you are getting at, Tim. The OP was a member since last year. Many members just read and never post. The OP has also said he's not technical and is trying to understand all of this.

 

Over the years there have been quite a few that have appeared, told a tale of woe, stirred lots of controversy and were later discovered to be just "pulling our legs". I'm not suggesting that you are one but your blank profile and the fact that this was your first post, does fit the pattern. Your history as a multiple owner is significant. If that had been part of your profile along with at least a clue to where in the World you live, it would give you significant credibility and possibly more help from others that are near you. The Miura belongs to a client and is one of two that I restored a few years ago. Welcome aboard Bill, let's hope we hear more from you after this mess gets cleaned up.

 

and this is why I quit posting on Ferrarichat......you never hear the whole story and things tend to get blown waaayyyy out of proportion not to mention, everyone on ferrarichat has their own way of doing things and their way is always the right way....like Wade I will continue to keep my trade secrets and methods to myself. I do not miss this forum.

 

This is another one of those funny, I've got a secret threads. Techies all over the world are looking in in the hopes that someone will spill the beans and they will learn the secret of how to fit a round shaft in a square hole. Heaven forbid that someone reveal a secret to other techs and car owners who, being 100s or 1000s of miles away will likely never cross the threshold of their shop.

I'll stick with my tech. I can call him, ask him anything, and he will discuss it in detail with me and let me know that if I have a problem he is there to help.

That's the duality of the Ferrari community. One side open and helpful, the other shrouded in mystery and secrecy .

 

And makes me wonder why you posted a reply at all.

 

Despite all the above i am still working on the square peg in the round hole problem. What fix did we decide was the way to go with this ?

 

Thanks for the followup, Bill. It sounds like Wade is the man to see in this situation so glad to hear that a path to a solution is being followed. Good luck and let us know how it all shakes out.

 

Thanks for the followup, Bill. Great news that you aren't going to need replacement cylinder heads! Also good to know that Wade is aware of the potential installation error and has a fix. Wade, if you're still watching this thread thanks for contributing. I'm making a note of your contact info in case I'm ever face with a major Ferrari cylinder head issue.