rob40

sorry if this has been covered before but... i know they fit ok but is it literally a straight swap? I thought i read somewhere that you need to remove the oil restrictor that's in the top of block, also do you use the RD or GK head gasket or are they exactly the same?

SpoolinShark

I've done the swap. Besides removing the oil restrictor the only other thing I did was swap the thermostat housing. If memory serves me correctly, I used a beta II gasket which I believe is thinner than a standard beta I. Also note that there are atleast 3 different styles of beta II heads.



One that looks pretty similar to a beta I (kind I have), one that has castings for cvvt but no cvvt, and then finally the actual cvvt head.



Cvvt casting heads look to have appeared around 2003.

rob40

thanks for clarifying, cvvt came in around mid 2003 over here so i need to find a 2002 or early 2003 head. Is it a worthwhile swap, what sort of gains can be achieved with it?

2000J25SP

Beta 2 non cvvt would be 2001-2002 Elantra

Beta 2 pre cvvt would be some 2003 elantras and tiburons

Beta 2 cvvt would be some 2003s and all 2004 and up.



The restrictor is between cylinders 2 and 3 comes out with flathead screwdriver.

Use everything from the cam sensor and thermostat housing from the Beta1



It should make a few more hp.



I haven't installed mine yet, still doing head work.

rob40

picked up a complete head last weekend (just need a rocker cover for it), will get it stripped during the summer and have a bit of work done on it with the aim of getting it fitted during the winter

JonGTR

Doing a head swap like this is really for high rpm boosted applications in order to use the solid lifters. You will get a few HP from the XD cams, but that could be done without swapping the whole head. If you want more power from cams, it would be better to just order a custom set.



Be careful if you're trying to remove the restrictor with the engine still in the car. You don't want to lose any small pieces down in the hole.

rob40

ah ok, i was under the impression that it had a better designed combustion chamber and port design. I wasn't expecting big gains but every little helps. Would it just be worth having some work done on my original head and fit the XD cams to it?

2000J25SP

I remember reading an old thread where someone flow tested the different heads and found that the stock Beta 2 head out flowed his "professionally" P&P Beta 1 head. Maybe I can find it...



I would do some head work to the Beta 2 head, but I wouldn't touch the old head. Some of the Beta 1 heads have some really terrible casting which would take a long time to clean up. Remember Stocker's head work thread? My Beta 2 head didn't take much effort at all to clean up. The roughest sections I used 60 grit, but for most of it 120 grit was all that was needed.





I believe the XD intake cam is pretty close to the 1.8 cam duration and lift. So expect a couple hp gain. If you have the money, buy custom camshafts. If not, you could install a second Beta 1 exhaust cam. It's better than the XD cam but required slight modification to fit. There's a diy for it. The best factory Beta cam comes from the Cvvt, 250 duration... but requires much more work to mod to fit.





Also I noticed you said that you need a valve cover for the new head. Does the Beta 1 valve cover not fit? I didn't know that. I want to know before I install the head.

JonGTR

If the gains from a Beta 1 to 2 were more than 10 base horsepower, don't you think Hyundai would have advertised 150hp in order to sell more?

SpoolinShark

I made the switch after my shark racing cams and Ferrea valve train decided to cause two sets of HLAs to develop holes/explode.