Is this head toast?

[diesel dub]

Tore apart my old 1.6td. I noticed some aluminum lifting around the precup. Is this head junk, or can it be saved? I ran this head very hard and hot. A lot. 1250 degrees was commonplace, 1350 occasionally. Do you think it can be surfaced and run again? This is my first post ever. Although I've lurked and learned for many years.
URL=http://s1151.photobucket.com/user/attrailfreak/media/IMAG0695_zpsuehakolr.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1151.photobucket.com/albums/o627/attrailfreak/IMAG0695_zpsuehakolr.jpg

[diesel dub]

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[diesel dub]

[ORCoaster]

That gap under the ruler looks a lot more than .004 to me.  Is it only that one cup?  You may try to take it down using a piece of glass and put a full or half sheet of 600 grit wet sand paper on it and soak it good with some cutting oil.  Then move that precup area around in a figure eight motion to see what happens to it.  The 8 motion gives you equal pull and push motion to the sanding so it is balanced. 

If it is the whole head I would wonder about how well surfacing it would last. 

And why do you run the engine so hot?  No radiator available? 

[diesel dub]

The aluminum is lifted about .020". Just in front of this precup. I have a radiator, I was "pushing the limits" for fun. And education.  I was just wondering if anyone has seen thus before. And thoughts if it can be reused. The engine still ran before disassembly.

[diesel dub]

[RabbitJockey]

i don't think i could trust that even if it was resurfaced

[fatmobile]

They usually stand proud of the surface by about that much so I don't see a problem.
They are rarely flush with the surface unless they've been surfaced with the prechambers in place.

Cover the prechamber with a valve clearance shim and hit it with a hammer to loosen it. Then see if you can drive it out the other way with a wooden dowel.
If you can't get it to fall out I wouldn't mess with it.

[vanbcguy]

I think the issue here is that the head surface has deformed around the prechamber, that's what's standing proud.

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[libbydiesel]

It looks like the pre-chamber insert was wiggling and hammered the edge of the bore.  I would not install that head without removing the insert and making a very thorough inspection of that bore/prechamber and making sure it was absolutely correct.  What is pictured does not definitively show the head as scrap, but most likely it needs an oversize insert in that prechamber or maybe in all of them.  Considering the difficulty in getting 1.6 inserts that may not be possible or cost effective. 

[diesel dub]

Thank you for all your replies. I'm still not sure if I should use this head or not. I think vanbcguy may have a good opinion as the head deformed. It actually looks as the aluminum may have melted slightly and that's what caused the deformation. Not sure tho. I may try to knock it out with a wooden dowel, if it comes out relatively easily to inspect fitment.