finished my roll painting, now it's on to the head replacement.
Whats the best way to clean/inspect a head before installation?
and whats the best way to get it to TDC when it's removed from the block?

thanks everyone.

and its a stock d15.

 

ok, i'm using some dish detergent!

 

Best way to inspect a head? If you have access to a "true" straight edge and a feeler gauge, you can check to see if the mating surface is within spec. Other than that, you can send it to your local machine shop to be cleaned, inspected, and if necessary machined down (cost me $25 locally). As for getting it to TDC before pulling it off, use a ratchet and extention on the main pulley to rotate the engine until you see the notch on the cam gear correctly aligned to TDC (timing cover will have to be removed).

On a side note, I didn't bother rotating my engine to TDC when I pulled off the head. If you think about it, it really doesn't matter as long as you rotate the crank to TDC and the cam to TDC before reassembly.