Have a ''97 SC2 1.9 litre DOHC with a cracked head. Its a nice little car and I found a head for a good price and I think I can get it put on for reasonable money.
Does this engine have a reputation for cracked heads?
If the head is cracked what are the chances of used head working well without additional milling work?
What parts other than a head gasket will I need?
I would welcome comments or suggestions form anyone with any experience.

 

If your original head has cracked, and you are installing an after-market rebuilt head, I would want to be totally sure that both the block and the new head are flat and true. If you have salvaged the head from a yard somewhere, I would be going over it withgreat vigor before putting it into my car ...

 

what would I do to qualify for going over it with great vigor?

 

For me, ''great vigor'' would entail complete disassembly, cleaning, measurement of tolerances, and replacement of any worn or out of tolerance components, followed by a careful reassembly before installation. Time consuming? Yes, but if I am going to put one of these engines together, I want it to be right and reliable ...

 

No. Not unless it was very poorly maintained and abused. Single cam engines have the cracking head issue.