Never done this before, but I blew a head gasket, leaking coolant out of the #1 cylinder area, figured its best to replace the gaskets since the car was abused before I got to it.


Now, since I've never done this before, what am I looking at? Do i need to remove the valvesprings? rockers? push rods? what about the lifters?


Treat me as if you were teaching your kid/friend how to do this... I've got a good idea of the assembly proccess, and whats entailed, just don't know whats good or bad to do... i.e. how to set quench, what gaskets to replace... etc etc.

much appreciated guys!

btw, I'm running edelbrock performer rpm 6089 aluminum heads, 64cc chamber, 5/16" push rods, all ARP hardware, aluminum roller rockers (1.5 ratio I beleive) steel '71 350 block, unknown pistons/compression ratio, edelbrock performer rpm manifold, perfomer 750 cfm carb, MSD 8361 Billet Distributor. ( please let me know if I am leaving any relavent information out.)

All I can say is that a headgasket job is easier to do then a crank job with the motor still in the car.

Start by marking the location of the distributor rotor so you can put it back in the same spot and then just start stripping off the top end!!

Hopefully you have headers but no x or h pipe b/c then you can just lay them over to the side to get at the lower head bolts! And don't forget to take the medium length head bolts out that are down in the bottoms of the dips at each end!! They are sometimes forgotten b/c of grime and crap hiding/covering them..

I like to drain mine out front of my work area so that any and all fluids are away from the underside in case I have to crawl under it to do something later. I then roll it back into the garage OR dry drive way..

I also coffee can everything, but what the hey, all fasteners go back somewhere.

Once you get the heads off, look them over close to hopefully check for them not being cracked!!.

If you can't see anything, you might want to have them tanked and mag'ged/pressure tested anyway to make sure they are OK, plus checked for flatness. You may have to plane them if they aren't flat??

And now is the time to do a valve job too!!

Quench can be changed by using a different thickness headgasket, say like thinner using the .015" thick, Fel-Pro, #1094 or thicker by using a .040" thick composite h/g.. AND I think the #1094's are good with aluminum heads too b/c they are "rubber" coated!!

I like shims b/c they make a bit higher CR. compared to composite h/g's is all if composites are on the engine in the first place.

Hope this helps.. Good luck with everything and get back if you need some advice..

pdq67...

PS., one last thing is to spin the pushrods between your finger and thumb, then a 1/4 turn more to set them cold to start her off. Then warm her up and double check everything.

AND also, use a torque wrench on the head bolts going round and round starting from the middle bolts on each head!! I do it at least three times over a couple of days b/c I am almost anal on this!!!

Pdq67 pretty much said it all

My comments are:
1. I believe a laminate gasket is used for alum heads rather than a steel shim.
2. Use a thread sealant on the head bolts, aka Permatex A200 or equivalent, to seal/keep the coolant into the water jacket.
3. Run engine up to operating temperature, and check and fix leaks.
4. Let engine cool overnight and retorque head bolts.
5. Use only plastic or solvents to clean the gasket surface of the alum head. You don't need to deep scratch it and create another leak.
6. Enjoy the ride.

thanks pdq & everett

upon closer inspection of my manifold, it looks like it may be receiving a good port and polish :) also discovered I have solid lifters.

one other question though, do I need to remove the springs & other hardware (valves & retainers?) to do a proper port and polish, or should I leave this up to my machine shop?

I'm still going through shock that my parents let me use the garage for a week, my mom has been adament since my buying the car that it NEVER go into the garage.

anyway, once again, thank you guys for being on point, quick to respond and always super helpful!!!! :)

The only thing I see missed is:

Be sure to pull the block plugs to drain the coolant out of the block. The water pump is HIGHER than the outside of the deck, if the block ain't drained, you'll fill your cylinders with antifreeze.

These are 1/4" pipe plugs, located on each side of the block, down low and center. They can be tough to get out. Once out, the block may be rusty enuf inside the no coolant comes out. Stick a small screwdriver in the hole and beat on it till you strike water.

You may not need to do anything to the heads b/c being E-brock jobbers, they should be pretty good as is??

BUT one thing I would do is make darn sure it is up, running AND out of the Garage in the week Mom gave you! Or you may not hear the last of it??

pdq67

PS., and it may be more hassle, but if you don't know what the spec's are for your cam, you might drop the oil pan and remove the timing cover and either check what's behind the top timing gear number/letters-wise or pull the cam and check what's on both ends! Then you will know what you have AND if you come back here and tell us what you have, maybe somebody will yes/no it being a good one for your application?? (I mention thi ONLY b/c you have her torn down this far anyway is all).....

(Remember to keep the lifters in order of the lobes they come off of IF you pull the cam is all)...

I pull the lower radiater hose. Those plugs can be definite knuckle-busters and I have seen several that had the square hole so screwed up that it was impossible to use.

I pull the lower radiater hose. Those plugs can be definite knuckle-busters and I have seen several that had the square hole so screwed up that it was impossible to use.

If you look at where the water pump joins the block, it is a half inch or more HIGHER than the outer deck surfaces. The lower rad hose will only drain the block to that level, and when u pop the heads there WILL BE water coming out all over the place.

If the plugs are square head (the originals were hex) and have been there awhile, get an 8 point socket.

This IS a real good time to get out the impact wrench. The rattling tends to bust up the rust.

well, removed the block drain plugs, on the driver side the bolt is halfway broken off inside the thread, its a 71 block and they're definately not original, but someone must've busted it off inside the thread at one point, probobly last owner.

cylinders did get some coolant in them, but i untightened all the head bolts in reverse sequence, then removed the lower bolts completley first, most of the coolant came out the holes into the drainage pans, i immediately soaked up all the coolant with paper towells from the cylinders, alternating towells, blew out the material left in the


chamber with air, then used carb cleaner to get the residual off, and coated with
20w50 oil for protection against flash rust, (i live right near the ocean, given enough time im sure plastic would probobly find a way to rust LOL)

pdq, I think i'm gonna take your advice, would be nice to bloody know, however, one interesting suprise, pistons have valve recesses, and are etched "0.030", perhaps I actually have a 383 and not a 350... ? or 302 block bored over ?

also, looks like the heads were polished just a tad on the intake side, bout 1" down towards the valve.

anyway, gotta go tend to the real girl, thanks for the help so much guys !

You'll gonna be changing oil and filter anyway, so what little trickled into crankcase will drain out with oil.

A .030 stamped on the piston head means the cylinders have been bored out .030" from stock diameter of 4.000 inches.

To find out if you have a 383, measure the depth of a piston in its cylinder with #1 at its TDC. If it measures just under 3.500 inches from the deck of the block, its a 350 CID. If it measures 3.75 inches, its a 383 CID.

Or just look at your damper b/c a stock 400 SB damper will be recessed some around it's outer dia. to account for the stock "Detroit" external GM balance. (It will have a raised area on it)...

pdq67

Or just look at your damper b/c a stock 400 SB damper will be recessed some around it's outer dia. to account for the stock "Detroit" external GM balance. (It will have a raised area on it)...

pdq67

pdq, I've already swapped out the old damper I had for an ATI, I do beleive its a 350 afterall, perhaps I misunderstood the way cid is calculated?



question as far as head gaskets go, I have FEL-7733PT2 (summit#) gaskets that I took off, should I simply replace it with the same gasket I was using, or should I consider something else? Summit's little blurb on the gaskets says they're 'not intended for race applications' and I suppose my heavy foot is responsible for them failing this time around....

should I be considering one of the performance head gaskets?


as always, much appreciated

Alluminum heads tend to "move around" a bit, and expand differently than the iron block does.

I'd use exactly the head gasket recommended by edelbrock, (it's on their website.) Put 2 coats of permatex copper seal (spray can) on both sides of the gaskets, clean the heck out of the deck and heads, both mechanically and a couple of final wipes with laquer thinner to remove all traces of grease, oil, or fingerprints. Don't touch the face of the deck, heads, or gaskets when putting them on.

Also, pretty sure these heads should use a particular ARP headbolt with a washer, do you have em?

Probably not related to your problem, but Edelbrock does call for .1" longer than stock hardened pushrods with these heads.

Alluminum heads tend to "move around" a bit, and expand differently than the iron block does.

I'd use exactly the head gasket recommended by edelbrock, (it's on their website.) Put 2 coats of permatex copper seal (spray can) on both sides of the gaskets, clean the heck out of the deck and heads, both mechanically and a couple of final wipes with laquer thinner to remove all traces of grease, oil, or fingerprints. Don't touch the face of the deck, heads, or gaskets when putting them on.

Also, pretty sure these heads should use a particular ARP headbolt with a washer, do you have em?

Probably not related to your problem, but Edelbrock does call for .1" longer than stock hardened pushrods with these heads.

I have all the appropriate ARP hardware, kept track of what side the head came off of, and the row I removed the fastners from, everythings in zip lock bags, labeled, gonna clean the crap out of them when its dark out.

I think I am going to take my heads to a shop here in san diego called total performance, have them port & polish the heads, as well as clean them up (hot tank? dont know if thats what they do to heads)


and jim, is it good for me to rub some oil on the walls of the cylinders while it sits open to the air? also, I "de-carboned" the pistons with some paper towells & carb cleaner, I have gotten out as many fragments as I possibley can, and blown it out with air, but is it majorly BAD for there to be ANY particles there? (difficult to get it out of the rings/ring gap)

I usually decarbon "dry" with the piston at TDC, a scraper in one hand and a running shop vac in the other.

Get the bores as clean as you can. Bring each piston past tdc then all the way down, then wipe the walls with a rag wet with oil. Viva paper towels are good, they don't leave much behind. Do each cylynder at least twice, maybe more. As the pistons go down, some of the "stuff" around the top ring will be left behind, wipe it off. This wipe will be all the oil the cylinders need.

Shops usually use a solvent bath of some sort (not a hot tank) and the head'll come out really clean and ready to drop back on.

Since you've had gasket trouble, be sure to get all the surfaces surgically clean. Also, it wouldn't hurt to check the heads and deck for flatness. The shop can do the heads, you can do the deck with a good straightedge and some feeler guages.

I'm going to take my heads and manifold out to a shop here in San Diego called Total Performance, dealt with them a bit before, totally satisfed with them, they WANTED to help me out, so looks like they'll get my business this time too.

So plans are:

Have TP clean the heads, replace helicoils with timeserts, and possibley a port & polish of the heads & manifold.

5 days left....

Place your bets here, guys!!!
Will he make it in 5 days?
Or will Mom kick him out of the garage?

I'm waging he won't be done in 5 days.............But, I wish you luck, aonghus!

Don't be afraid to ask questions to help speed up the process.

everett. it isnt a matter of getting kicked out of the garage, since at the time I bought my car I didn't have a liscense, the good ol' state of california DMV won't let you register a car to someone without a liscense, hence the car is in my dad's name, and he's going to sell the car if I don't have it done/out of the garage by friday.

anyway, haha, oh dear here we go... off to the machine shop, thanks many times over everett, pdq, Jim...

oh the days when dad could threaten to take your stuff away ahh i remember them well....but of course you will get your revenge .. when he gets old .. take away his walker!!

yeah well, this is a bit of bs too, my dad refuses to transfer the car into my name even though I payed for it with my own $, and pay to maintain it. ah well, have to play the game until I can get out.

I bet he get's her done in that length of time!!

I know, years ago, I did a head swap with the motor in my car in about 4 or so hours, but waited 'til the next evening to drop the distributor in her and light her off.

He, He!! The key was that my motor was cold so I didn't have to fight burning my hands and crap like that..

AND I did make a heck of a mess under it too!!!

pdq67

As long as the shop doesn't cause a delay, you'll get her done!

'ey guys, should I go ahead and buy some thread chasers, as well as a valve lash tool?

looks like i really am gonna have the motor back togeather by friday, got the heads back from the shop, cant afford to have them port, polish, redo my valve guides, and all that goodness. (old autoshop teacher said he'd give me a deal, for $400, lol... $50 off the shop price, and it'd take him 2x as long.)

ah well I am off to ruin my $120 in gaskets !

thanks folks for all the help