1988 BMW 325i Cracked 885 Cylinder Head

[Geoffzie]

I've got a cracked 885 BMW 325i cylinder head from my 1988 convertible ... two of the rocker shaft towers are cracked, the victim of a broken timing belt. I purchased the car that way, and have since replaced the head and repaired the engine.

My question is ... should I just scrap the old head, or is it common to weld BMW heads? I know welding is common in machine shops with other aluminum heads. But I also know that BMW folk can be finicky people ... would a Bimmer enthusiast even buy a used welded head?

Welding it wouldn't be a problem, I've been a welder myself for over 40 years (but don't presently own aluminum welding equipment) ... and I've talked with the local welding shop and it wouldn't be a problem for them ... although the head would have to be machined after welding ... and checked for flatness.

Anyone with any experience welding an M20 head? ... I know these heads are getting kind of hard to come by ... and expensive!

[superj]

I would do it. With how hard they are to find, soon that's going to be the only way to get one.

That's why I snatched a local one up and have it hidden away in my garage. It took forever to find one

[H.J. 1981]

In Germany we scrap heads, unless they are the "special kind" such as Alpina or Hartage heads, those are worth the money to get repaired (if possible).

One can always get the AMC head, with or without the springs/valves. 99% of people will not notice any difference between BMW and AMC heads honestly, but its a matter of opinion.