(December 7, 2015 at 1:13 pm)TheRocketSurgeon Wrote:(December 7, 2015 at 1:05 pm)Judi Lynn Wrote: We rented that compressor but it was really nice to have. I also had to buy a torque wrench. Let me say, those are nice, but if you don't get the numbers exact, everything goes to shit.
The heads weren't polished, but they were cleaned meticulously to the point where one could probably eat off of them. Rubbing alcohol, q-tips and cotton balls are awesome.
I asked because I spend a LOT of time with bike heads; porting-and-polishing is one of my specialty upgrades for my customers. It's relatively simple (I use that term loosely), once you know what you're doing, but it improves the breathing of the engine considerably for very little cost. Engines are basically air-pumps, in terms of how they operate, so improving its ability to breathe-- that's why K&N filters and freer-flowing exhausts do so much for your power-- is everything, unless you wish to start punching out cylinders for more displacement. It's rarely even necessary to re-jet the carburetors, since the change is simply how efficiently the fuel-air mix moves from the carbs to the combustion chamber, not actually changing the volume of either. Changing the pipes or the filter, however, changes the total air-flow volume, and thus requires adjustment of the fuel mix unless you have a modern fuel injection system that automatically compensates (I don't think your Cherokee would have that).
I know nothing of how to work on bikes so I'll ask, are bike heads visible from the outside? Since there's no "under the hood" parts, I know, logically, that there are internal parts. The Cherokee belonged to a friend of mine.
On a side note, when I was 19 (25 years ago), I rebuilt a double barrel carbureator.
Disclaimer: I am only responsible for what I say, not what you choose to understand.