Trick Flow small block heads
So for those of us (me) who have no clue (again me), what does the surface look like when it's "just right"?
Much like cylinder wall finish, you can’t tell with your eye what the correct finish is. You must use a profilometer to actually know what the finish is. That goes for cylinder walls and deck surfaces.
As I said earlier, you can get the surface too smooth (for lack of a better qualification) with FelPro gaskets. When I pulled the heads off, it was blatantly obvious the head gaskets were under distress.
If someone tells you “they got it” without a profilometer, they probably don’t. No one in their right mind would let a machinist hone a cylinder without a dial bore gauge. Technology has moved far enough that the profilometer is now as essential a tool as a bore gauge is.
BTW, next week there will be a webinar on profilometers and their use. I’ll find a link and post it here.
I think everyone should educate themselves, so you can carry on a sensible conversation with your machinist. Otherwise, it’s a crap shoot.