AEG 163 any point anymore ?

[Exminiman]

Really as the title, now 60 ish years old, with very limited good heads available, chances of them being cracked very high, potentially a flawed design from the start, are they still a head that anyone would fit except to a trailer queen ?

Would anyone really fit one if they wanted a reliable car to drive ?

[Ronnie]

Would anyone really fit one if they wanted a reliable car to drive ?

It would depend I suppose on how many miles you want to drive it, and how hard it is driven.
No good for a race car perhaps but if you get a good one, they did some hard driven miles in 1960's.

[swifty]

Of all of the mk1 restored cooper s minis that I’ve sold I’ve never fitted one . I always use a 1805 because of the possible reliability issues with the 163 . But I always supply one included in the sale . It’s never put off a buyer … Shirley

[Rolandino]

I have run my S with a 163 head for the last 18years, doing 8 minis to monte 2 to Scotland and one to Ireland. Before fitting, I had the valve seats changed to run unleaded, both inlet and exhaust valves, new guides and valves were fitted. Constantly checked tappet gaps and the head runs beautifully, engine revs to 8000, but that was only done on Peter Baldwins rollers. Like everything, if you look after it, it will last!

[Exminiman]

I have run my S with a 163 head for the last 18years, doing 8 minis to monte 2 to Scotland and one to Ireland. Before fitting, I had the valve seats changed to run unleaded, both inlet and exhaust valves, new guides and valves were fitted. Constantly checked tappet gaps and the head runs beautifully, engine revs to 8000, but that was only done on Peter Baldwins rollers. Like everything, if you look after it, it will last!

Do you think changing the seats could help stop the cracks ?

[Rolandino]

Definitely! The seats are much harder and if one splits it doesn't ruin the head. The only other way is to get a 940 head and put larger valves, and you may still get cracks!

[mk1]

I have used 163's & 185's exclusively for nearly 30 years. I drive my cars hard & to date, I have (touch wood) never had one fail on me.

Getting good ones is getting hard, but I usually work on the principal that if it has remained OK between when it was made & now, it is probably a good one. This has served me well so far.

However, if you are not hung up on using a 163, then it makes sense to use the much better designed 940 casting.

[Nick W]

I bought several over the years... all been boat anchors, I won't buy another unless its been inspected by a specialist beforehand.

[Pete]

Ditto Nick, even bought one as part of an engine off here that had to be scrapped. Expensive gamble isn’t it?

Here’s a question , how many people have or are actually running cracked heads? I know of at least one on a road car and has been for awhile!

[251 ENG]

Speaking as someone who has to deal with them on a regular basis , if you want a really nice one they are very few and far between.
If they don,t have cracks between the seats , they normally have cracks or bits missing around the rocker studs .

Then you have the condition of the seats , they are not supposed to meet each other at a sharp point. The part of valve head past the seat is also supposed to be in the combustion chamber not buried down the oversize seat .

If you just want something that works you can find them , if you want a really good one that's going to be less than 10% of what's available.

Most of the ones that turn up for sale are described as " having no visible cracks " . I have recently spent £800+ on some magnaflux crack testing equipment , that finds everything