i just got a 2005 evo 8. according to the previous owner the head is fully built, as right now it sounds like it has cams but how can you tell is built or not if i removed the valve cover to look? thanks

 

Well I'm in the middle of a build right now and had the head built with new Manley Spring, titanium retainers, valves and GSC Viton valve stem seals. My GSC S2 cams are on the way so I'm not sure exactly if there are any obviously visible marks on them that indicate what brand they are(hopefully someone will chime in about that until I get mine). As for spring and retainers those are pretty obvious to spot. My Manley springs and retainers are much lager than the stock springs and barely fit in the seats. So really you could find a picture of stock spring and retainers on here somewhere and compare that to the ones you have. As for valves I really don't think you will be able to tell if those are aftermarket or OEM unless you pulled the head and looked at the bottom side. If the valve stem seals were replaced with something aftermarket and rated for more "performance" you will see blue on the exhaust side for sure if the pervious owner used SuperTech or GSC Viton seals. I know GSC sends out all blue seals for exhaust side and intake side instead of the brown for intake side because the blue handles heat better and why not have it on both sides? Those are a few things to look for, but again with the cams I'm not sure since I have yet to compare OEM to my GSC S2 cams that I'm waiting on. I'm sure there is some markings on it to differentiate between.

 

Throw up a picture of the cams. Someone may be able to identify them.

 

Yeah, throw a pic on there.

Most cams are stamped near the front and also have color codes.

and the stock cams have big holes in them.

 

ill post some pictures soon, can i reuse the valve cover rubber gasket, i mean remove the valve cover then put it back and torque to spec?

 

yes you can re-use it, but why not replace it why its off along with spark plug tube seals (>$20)?