RE: 8v Hydro Heads: Plug 'n Play??

[Jonas Karlsson <jkarlsso@metabolex.com>]

David Ruby wrote:
>Are the hydraulic-lifter 8v heads a simple bolt-on upgrade?  Do 
>they offer the 8.5:1 compression ratio, or is it different?  
>Anyone have other thoughts on the pros/cons of such heads?  
>Experience??
>
>Danke,
>-Dave
>'86 8v
>

I did this swap about 2 months ago. Not so much out of a desire for 
hydraulic lifters, but because I found a nice one for cheap. I got the 
head off of an 87 GTI plus the new oil pump for $100.   The head had 
also been resurfaced so that I now have a 9.5:1 CR.  The original 
motivator for swapping was that 3 out of 8 exhaust manifold studs were 
broken off in the head, and when I put in the autotech tri-y header, it 
made a loud and annoying noise as the exhaust gases were escaping. I 
took it to a shop and they did not have enough room to remove the studs 
with the head still on. I decided to then look for a head to swap with. 
That's how I came to get the new one. 

  The results?  Well, it's hard to say. I definitely notice more power, 
but that's probably from the 9.5:1 CR than anything else. The lifters 
are old and one or two are ticking, so I'll probably need to buy new 
ones.  $$ ouch.  

  Overall I am very happy with my swap,  more power, no more noise. I 
have been toying with the thought of fixing up my old head though. 
Remove the broken studs, try to do an mild port job, (maybe) send it out 
for a valve job, (think about) shaving it for 9.5:1 CR, etc. It's just 
sitting in my garage, and I catch it givign me bad looks behind my back 
(probably because it feels like I tossed it to the side like a used 
kleenex). So the thought of putting it back on the block to make that JH 
enging complete again just seems to creep back into my stream of 
conciousness more and more these days.

The moral of the story:  If you need a new head, and you find a hydraulic 
lifted head for cheap, it is not a bad swap. If you are looking to get 
more power, however, this is probably not the best way to go, as other 
listers have also indicated. 

HTH

Jonas 
85 Scirocco
 


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