RM-Z 450 Head Swap/Rebuild

[RedSkull315]

Whats up guys,

I'm new to the site and new to these motors and may have gotten in a little over my head.

I'm fixing an 05 RMZ450 for a friend and it came without the head. Not realizing it had overhead cams i thought itd be a quick job, so i bought a factory head not realizing it'd be empty. Does anybody know if they have any kind of "head rebuild kit" or do i have to buy the cams, valves, springs, tappets etc individually? If that's the case what exactly do i need to get for this bike to run?

[xMUDKINGx]

If it didn't have a head at all, I'll try to list everything. However it may be more worth while getting a used head on eBay. Keep in mind though. The head and cylinder need to be "decked" (machined flat so the head gasket can make proper contact with each piece) regardless of which route you choose to go. Since you already have the head, we will go from there. There is no "rebuild" kit that will include cams. But to list all the parts you need will go as follows. 1 intake cam, 1 exhaust cam (with auto decompression lever)(these generally come with the bearings pressed on, but check to make sure), 1 intake cam journal, 1 exhaust cam journal, 2 intake valves, 2 exhaust valves, 4 valve buckets, 4 valve springs, 4 valve keepers, 4 shims of various sizes (2 per cam/1 per valve)(depending on valve seat wear)(hot cams shim kit is recommended) 4 valve guides, 8 cam journal bolts (the bolts near the cam sprokets (4) are shorter than the ones near spark plug hole)4 main head bolts, 4 outside hex screws, there is two small pieces of metal that sit in the head in front of the cam bearings but I can't recall their actual name, a head gasket, a spark plug, valve cover and gasket, 2 valve cover bolts with gaskets, 2 exhaust manifold studs, I would recommend a new cam chain, possibly new cam chain guides, and I recommend replacing the auto tensioner on the 05 for a manual cam chain tensioner (to prevent this from happening again) you will also need the tool to install the valve keepers and a tool to cut new valve seats. The "decking" I mentioned earlier must be done by a machine shop, *or you can skip the decking and try it without it. I'd give a 60-70% success rate without it, if it does indeed require decking (meaning your losing coolant somewhere) as long as you kill the bike before it really seeps into the bottom end, all your out is a new head gasket and some more time with some wrenches. Best of luck man! 

Edited February 23, 2017 by xMUDKINGx
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[RedSkull315]

Thanks for the reply. I just priced everything out and it'd be somewhere around ~$1000 for parts (plus the $600 i paid for the head). If i cant find a head already built i may try just getting a whole new engine and returning/reselling the head that i bought. would an LTR head work on this motor? or one from an RMZ250?

Edited February 23, 2017 by RedSkull315