How much is too much? Observe the wear on the cam and journal surfaces of the spare KA24E head I just disassembled, and tell me if it can be salvaged:

 

Part 2:

 

you are going to need 2 tools to tell if the cam and the head are worth trying to use again... you need a dial indicator and a micrometer... put the cam retainer back on the head and torque it down... with the dial indicator check the bore of the journal... match that to the specs in the fsm... if it is within specs have a machine shop clean it up ... mic the cam and see if it also is within specs... if it is usable then again have a machine shop polish the cam and you will be good to go...

if it is not within specs... search for the solid lifter conversion setup for the kae... it requires the machining of the cam journals for installation... once you have the conversion kit then have the machine shop do all the machining work needed and stick in a better cam and that will have you back to running with an upgrade...

other than that it is a new head and cam time...

 

Yah, I have bore gauges and micrometers, so I can check the clearances... I was just concerned about the surface finish on the journals more than anything else. Looks like some pretty good sized particles made their way in with the oil at some point.

 

It's all reusable with some welding and machining, the sohc cams arent made any more I would defenitely keep it around. Looks like your typical 150,000+m wear and tear.......

 

The cam doesn't worry me too much - since it's steel and the journals are aluminum, the journals took the brunt of the wear. I just don't want to spend a ton of money on this particular head.