So after letting my car sit for a while after what I figured was a timing belt I confirmed today that the crankshaft sprocket chewed the teeth off the lower belt.

I know the valves are 99.9% likely bent but I didn't take the head off yet, it's very unlikely they aren't bent though so I have some work ahead me of. I am curious what I need ahead of time before I bother taking the head off and bringing it to a machine shop.

Will the machine shop do all the work needed to rebuild the head usually or will they only do the machining and assembly, basically what parts should I purchase ahead of time besides the headgasket and maybe head bolts to make sure the rebuild of the head goes smoothly.

Should I buy the valves and bring it to them? Should I just bring them the entire assembled head with the bent valves and just tell them to rebuild it? will they even do that?

I haven't dealt with much internal engine work before so it's a new territory for me, I have the mechanical skills to figure out how to do the non machining part of the rebuild if I have to and the car isn't my DD so what is my best option

Pull the head, your going to need if off anyway, this will give you a better idea as to what is needed and the what damage occurred. Depending on your goals and the damage you may want to look into sourcing a good used head although it's nice to have it checked for flatness and possibly have the surfaced machined as well. If you plan on doing some upgrades such as oversized valves(I recommend at least new "3g" lifters) you probably just want to use the current head depending on the damage.

The machine shop will access the damaged and will do all disassembly/assembly required. Let them know what your goals are and do some research and ask them questions. Try to find a shop with a good rep in your area.

I'm sure others with more experience/knowledge will chime in, but yeah, just pull the head off. Your going to want to check for any lower end damage and the balance shaft belt as well, this might sled some light on what caused the failure.

As much as snapping/stripping a TBelt can sound bad it can make for an interesting project.

As stated above pull the Head off first and assess the damage. You can order quality parts through RTM Racing. Ziggy and Paul will offer you the best service.

3rd revision Lifters (aka 3G) will be an excellent choise.

Ghislain

It cost me 450 to have the head refreshed after my t-belt skipped a few teeth (tensioner failed). Machine shop had me bring valves in so that heads could be machined to match.

Can the timing be done without the tool? I'm likely just cutting the old belt off and already have all the new parts including the pre loaded tensioner.

timing belt on 4g63 is not something where u can take short cuts. Without tensioner tool it would be hard (not impossible) to calibrate tensing of the t-belt.

Ziggy should have what you need.

Okay thanks, My last question, If im pulling the head in the driveway what precautions do I need to take once it's off. It will be sent away so the block and pistons will be exposed for a little bit at least. Little concerned about rust.

seran wrap, and make sure you have the car sitting for a while as you don't want the oil in the head going into you coolant passages. Also all fluids drained (hoping this would be common sense)