Glad you found another head. I hate it that the first one was bad. It was good they took care of you. The crank has some markings on it below the bearing journal that looks like old rust pitting even though they are not black. 

I was actually amazed the guy just gave me a full credit-- sight unseen. The next one coming has a bent valve, but he guaranteed it would pass a pressure test.

I might take a stab at straightening the head. I might as well since it is free. It will be my guinea pig head to practice unshrouding and measuring and cutting and......

How would straighten it? Shave it flat or some other method?

A big oven, big piece of steel and patience.

A big oven, big piece of steel and patience.

 

That's crazy talk!!

I guess I'm crazy then-

I also have one sitting in my garage if you want moar maxima heads On a stock dished block with less than average compression, and a very mild cam, I put down 150rwhp which wasn't too bad for not doing any headwork.

Also interesting to me that the pistons all were labeled P79, I wasn't aware that Nissan did that. Am I assuming too much?

 

I've got 6 that are stamped the same as yours but mine all have "5" instead of "3".  I'll look at the main caps for those dots this afternoon, haven't cleaned them yet. 

I've got 6 that are stamped the same as yours but mine all have "5" instead of "3".  I'll look at the main caps for those dots this afternoon, haven't cleaned them yet. 

Interesting.

Okay, the turbo dished pistons have the "5" stamped in them.  P79s have a couple of different numbers on them.  I've read that was a way of internal balancing for the ZXs, pistons close to each other in weight are stamped the same.  I don't know that to be a fact though.  Those dots on your main caps aren't on any of mine.  Could that be a way of numbering them from a mechanic?

Thanks Cliff. Maybe my engine has been cracked open before. It was pretty dirty inside like old used oil, but maybe there's nothing to that. I believe on these motors all the bearing caps not numbered are supposedly interchangeable.

There may be numbers on the side of the caps