I_am_imprezed

Should probably do the valve seals on the used head you purchased. It only takes a C-clamp and little piece of bent steel you could bend yourself with any vice. It also requires 2 people to do the job but is well worth it if you feel you can do it. If not your local machine shop should be able to do it easily and relatively inexpensive.

M758

Look if you did not run the starter motor and did not force things by hand you probably did not bend an valves.

It should be as easy as pulling the cam box and turing over the bottom end. If it turns fine with no cam you just had valve contact. Move the bottom end to tht TDC mark on the flywheel and then carefully put the cam box back on with the cam lined up on its mark. All shoud work fine.

PerceptionProblem

m758: I had run the starter motor. This is my first foray into piston engines, so I wasn't thinking about how internal timing can mess things up by not hand-cranking the engine first >.<

Imprezed: The head I had gotten wasn't in great shape. (read: I messed it up while taking it off) So I'm hoping to be able to pull the valves and replace them. ButI believe that the gasket/seals kit I got comes with those.

But I didn't know that I can try to hand-crank the engine with no cam. I will be trying that before I pull the head out, just to see if I'm bent or was just having contact.

M758

Then you bent the valves. Head must come off. The bottom end should be fine. The only issues could by deep marks in the pistons. Pull the head to find out.

Van

I bet something in your bell housing has broken, and is jamming up the flywheel - not the valves and the pistons. Probably a broken clutch disk, or maybe a broken guide tube, or even a clutch fork (how does the clutch pedal feel).

PerceptionProblem

@Van: the valves/pistons are unrelated to the rear end problem. That was a result of my lack of experience and not double-checking my work. My clutch feels great; no change in pressure, contact point hasn't changed, and I can hear the tranny shift into gear. (Before my valve-problem) When I would release the clutch, the rear end would grind, and it would grind louder/faster if the engine was revved. I got a replacement, and am hoping to put it in after/while I'm doing this head-pulling.

@M758. Yup. Just waiting for my gasket set to come in before I pull anything; I want to have all the parts I might need on hand so I can sit down and spend a weekend to dishing out love and curse words to Mein Porsche.