I am working on a set of aluminum heads and am looking for some advice regarding two specific issues.
1) The valve guides are in good shape and I have no desire to heat and press out and back in just for a light port and polish. But the clearance is less than a quarter inch between guide body and valve bowl. Is there any way to get in that area without removing guide? Tool and/or technique suggestions?
2) I have some “pitting” on the quench area. I assume due to heat (looks like there was debri rattling around in the combustion chambers). Normally I would have the heads decked, but this is cost prohibitive not to mention I cannot locate any competent shops that deal with aluminum blocks and heads. I can smooth out the damage with a scuff pad on a grinder, but do not want to totally smooth out and lower the compression ratio. Will leaving the quench area not perfectly flat and smooth lead to issues (and possibly more erosion)?