I am in the market for a head but the problem is how do i know it is good or bad.. do i just trust what the seller says (i don't think so) if not what do i have to go off.. compression and if come back excellent but still doesn't tell me if the valves are bad as this happened to me with my current head.. I was wondering is there a systematic approach when buying a used head.. The head i am looking at has 78,000 original miles. no rebuild and has been sitting for four years in storage. I would appreciate assistance in helping me find a good working gsr head.

thnks

 

If you have access to the head I would ask if you could take it to a local machine shop, maybe leave the guy your license in trade? Is the head on the car still? You cant do a compression or leak down test if it's off the car, only a machine shop can do a pressure test and check for cracks. You can check if the heads warped with a straight edge.

 

I think its better to get the B16 head, higher compression and better flow if you mildly port it the right way.

 

are sure? i thought gsr head has higher compression because of the smaller combustion champers...thus gsr having higher compressiong than a stock b16??? i could be wrong tho.

 

x2 thats what i thought 2

 

x3. B16 head will lower compression. GSR will bump it by .2 if I'm not mistaken. GSR head has a smaller combustion chamber by the valves. He's right about the flow though, that's why Honda used it for the Type R.

 

thats what i thought..and i thought the only difference was the intake manifold thats why the b16 flows a little better? thats really it i'm guessing...

 

well yeah, if any head gets ported its gonna flow better. but the difference between the bare b16 head and bare itr head is that itr head comes factory ported. and also, the b16 IM flows better than the gsr IM becaue b16 is single stg and gsr is dual stg(butterfly).

but to answer the OP, take it to the shop...thats the only way you'll know unless you are buying from a reputable person or shop.

 

You fools need to get your facts straight. Show me a flowbench test that CLEARLY shows a stock B16 head SIGNIFACANTLY outflowing a stock GSR head. There is more to a gsr head being different than a B16/PR3 head than just the intake manifolds. You guys need to actually get some experience and tear the 2 heads apart and look at the differences first hand, instead of going off what your cousin's uncle's neighbor's mechanic said.

 

Wow, someone's panties are in a bunch. There is no flow bench that CLEARLY shows a b16 out flowing a GSR head SIGNIFICANTLY. I have seen these two heads side by side and know there is a difference between the ports, and therefore the manifolds. Furthermore, I wouldn't go off what my cousin's uncle's neighbor's mechanic said, he only works on Fords...

 

Theres a chart ive seen from joe at alaniz where they compared the tw0 heads and they were pretty close actually i cant seem to find it..
Take my advise i rebuild heads all the time, look for a head thats as complete as can be, make sure theres no bent valves you can spray brake cleaner in the cahambers and see if it leaks through the valves, then take it to a machine shop and have them inspect do a 3 angle valve job, regrind the valves, hot tank the head and reasemble the head with new valve seals! there no point in getting a suposally low mile good cond. head and slaping it on, if theres even some dirt in the head it can cause you to loose compression and or you will end up with problems soon later down the road so do it right the first time, it should be aroun $275-$375 for the labor and about $45-$60 for the new valve seals, this way your head will be like brand new with 0 miles!! skip this and you will probrally pay more money later taking it out and repairing it when it fails, ow and use arp headstuds!

 

if you already have a head with bad valves just rebuild it then you know that you have a good set up plus you can then custom tailor it to what kind of power you want