Popped my first cherry. FINISHED PHOTOS ADDED.

[strokerswild]

That's just the combustion chamber. The valve bowl is the area directly beneath the valve and seat, the portion the port leads to.

I don't have any gasket matching pics, but it's pretty simple. Just lay the gasket on the head and line up the bolt holes (and then do the same on the intake so that they match when assembled - imagine a cross-section of the assembly). Trace around the gasket opening with a fine scribe and simply enlarge the port to that mark. As someone else stated, use machinist's dye on the flange and the scribed mark will stand out very well.

[strokerswild]

Everything you ever wanted to know about head porting:

http://www.sa-motorsports.com/diyport.shtm

[mitt]

Looks great so far. Keep us updated.

mitt

You do know that you don't need to pull the engine to fix a base gasket leak right? Good Luck.

[battlecry]

Shhhh. Don't tell him. We want to watch

[Michael_Gannon]

Originally Posted by Ducatirider

You do know that you don't need to pull the engine to fix a base gasket leak right? Good Luck.

So I've been told. But what fun would that be?

[Michael_Gannon]

Well I ran in to some little snags, ie. lost parts, over the weekend and didn't get as much done as I would have liked. One of the tiny yet major parts that came up missing is the little alignment dowel that goes between the horizontal cylinder and the head. I would have liked to put it on before I mounted the engine but I figured I'd better get the engine in so I can start getting some of the other stuff together. I think I can pretty much finish up the bike except for the horizontal head and then slap that on once the part comes in. One of the other little parts that went missing on me is a little o-ring between the clutch cover and the engine case. I can't seem to even find this part in the parts catalog but I know I'm missing it because it's in one of my photos from the disassembly. Here is that photo. It's the green o-ring under the clutch.

[img width=500 height=375]http://www.ducatimonster.org/ImageFolio3_files/gallery/DML_Member_Bikes/m750_Clutch.JPG[/img]

So, like I was saying, I was able to get some of the other stuff together with the help of Mark or "megillet" as he goes by on the board. He read some of my posts and offered to come up from Kalamazoo to give me a hand. He had never done anything like this before either but had some experience with cars so he knew some stuff that I didn't, like the fact that there's a right way and a wrong way to put a piston back in. Aparently ther is a front and back and the notches, or "seats" as I guess they are called on the top of the pistons need to corospond with the different size valves on the heads. Who knew. Anyway, Back to the photos.

Here's the engine case painted gloss black. I brought it outside for better light.

[img width=500 height=375]http://www.ducatimonster.org/ImageFolio3_files/gallery/DML_Titanium_Member_Folders/Michael_Gannon/Black_Engine_Case.JPG[/img]

Here is a photo of the engine in frame. The valve covers and alternator cover are painted low gloss black although it's kind of hard to see the contrast in the photo. I had just wiped them down so the look a little glossy.

[img width=500 height=375]http://www.ducatimonster.org/ImageFolio3_files/gallery/DML_Titanium_Member_Folders/Michael_Gannon/Black_Engine_in_Frame.JPG[/img]

[megillet]

I just wanted to say that Mike is the man and his bike looks great!! I love the look of his black engine (which I saw in person last night) so much that I have decided that I am going to black mine out this winter as my winter project. Sorry Mike, but you won't have the only black engine Monster in SW Mi after next winter .

[Norm]

If you need to borrow any of those little things that you've lost, just PM me. I've got lot's of engine parts.

[Michael_Gannon]

I did some polishing on the inside of my manifolds to remove the rough edges and grooves. I decided not to open the ends up any wider than they were because when I placed the gasket on them the diameters were a pretty close match. I didn't think I could really get them any better and that I had a pretty good chance of making them worse. It was the pretty much the same case for the engine head although it wasn't quite as close a match.

Here is the carb end

[img width=500 height=375]http://www.ducatimonster.org/ImageFolio3_files/gallery/DML_Titanium_Member_Folders/Michael_Gannon/Intake_Manifold_Carb_End.JPG[/img]

Here is the engine end

[img width=500 height=375]http://www.ducatimonster.org/ImageFolio3_files/gallery/DML_Titanium_Member_Folders/Michael_Gannon/Intake_Manifold_Engine_End.JPG[/img]

Here's a photo of the gasket held up to the manifold

[img width=500 height=375]http://www.ducatimonster.org/ImageFolio3_files/gallery/DML_Titanium_Member_Folders/Michael_Gannon/Manifold_Intake_Port_Gasket.JPG[/img]

Here's a photo of the gasket held up to the engine head

[img width=500 height=375]http://www.ducatimonster.org/ImageFolio3_files/gallery/DML_Titanium_Member_Folders/Michael_Gannon/Engine_Head_Intake_Port_Gasket.JPG[/img]