Customs Flathead alu heads advice

hello,
I bought second-hand Offenhauser cylinder heads for my 53 Ford Customline. Now I need your advice.
-Can I need these heads like that? should I let the heads be straightened again (sorry for my English but I don’t know the exact word) it looks like this has been done before
-I don’t know exactly the condition of the heads. I don’t know whether the heads were ground several times. how exactly should I proceed here?
-What type of seal do you recommend?

Thanks for your help. cheers from Switzerland.
Richard
-

 

They don’t look too bad. Have a look at the pdf chart Ryan attached in one of his posts in this thread. Should give you the volume of the head so you can check to see if was already milled.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/flathead-v8s-compression-ratios-6-020-choices.482189/

 

Yes they were already milled, you can see because the dome above the piston is so small around. Should be the same diameter as the piston.

First thing they need is cleaned. I blast mine in a sandblast cabinet. It will remove all the corrosion from the surface to show you exactly what remains. Only then can you determine how well they will seal.

To determine if they are still flat, use a machinists straight edge. Might not need any more milling to straighten them out.

Then you can determine the clearance above your pistons and valves to see if they might need machining to fit your particular engine.

 

If you decide to clean them in in your blasting cabinet use a plastic media for aluminum

 

you guys are great,
thank you

 

Man you're in Chur.... I used to live in Samedan. Not too far from you....

 

If you are in doubt you can always come to my place, I am in southern Germany, just 60km from Konstanz.