200 cylinder head removal / Head bolts

[woodbutcher]

Yep.Popping the cylinder head loose that way is a fairly recent trick.I learned about it about it 50 years ago from a mechanic that learned about it just after he started as a mechanic in about 1925.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

[drag-200stang]

I would not use a wire wheel on the head bolts, maybe by hand.

 

[60sMustang]

So today I got the engine hoist, hooked the hook in the water neck hole on the front of the head, jacked it up a little to put some upward tension on while tapping the log portion of the head with a small sledge hammer. It finally broke free from the block after a couple tries.

The gasket appears to be metal for the most part and has left a paper-like material on both the head and block. It Does not look like it will be easy to clean up for reinstall of the head. Does this sound like the remains of an original gasket possibly?

Any suggestions for preparing the block for the new gasket and removing the leftover gasket material. Its like a paper type material that is over most of the surface of the block. My concern is getting a bunch of it in the antifreeze by falling down in the passages.

Also I'm new to the internal portion of an engine, the pistons have some carbon buildup on them and the head has a lot. A couple of the plugs were black also when I pulled them, I believe from the center cylinders. Is this common or is it maybe running to rich and needs re-jetted in the carb?

Should I try to completely clean the piston tops and block surface and if so what should I use? Don't want to damage anything.

I'd be happy to email some pics if someone is willing to look at them.

 

[edgewood bronco]

I'd be happy to email some pics if someone is willing to look at them.

We always like to look at photos. Congrats on getting your head off!
For removing gasket material, I like a single-edge razor on held at a very low angle of attack to carefully scrape anything off the casting surface. Be careful to not mar the machined surface (the low angle of attack helps this, and helps eliminate chatter across the surface that a higher angle may cause). When the going gets tough, push the razor at a 45 degree angle from its direction of travel so that you get a slicing motion along with the low angle of attack. Using this second angle, you can use your razor like a snowplow to direct the gasket material away from holes and keep it from falling into the block.You can plug holes in the block with a cloth rag as an added precaution. I don't plug all of them before I start, but rather plug the one I'm working around at the moment if I think it necessary. I'll put an oily rag in the cylinder around which I'm working to keep the debris from falling between the piston and cylinder wall. The oil on the rag grabs the small particles and keeps them from sneaking past. Vacuum the pistons when you're done as an added precaution. Make sure the exhaust of the vacuum doesn't kick up a cloud of dust and contaminate everything!!!
When you're all done on the block side, rotate the engine one revolution by hand and the rings will push any leftover debris to the top of the cylinder walls. Wipe any clinging debris out carefully.

Start on the head first - if you're having it worked on, you've got a lot less to lose by learning on that side. Take your time and be careful.
Good Luck!

 

[rbohm]

So today I got the engine hoist, hooked the hook in the water neck hole on the front of the head, jacked it up a little to put some upward tension on while tapping the log portion of the head with a small sledge hammer. It finally broke free from the block after a couple tries.

The gasket appears to be metal for the most part and has left a paper-like material on both the head and block. It Does not look like it will be easy to clean up for reinstall of the head. Does this sound like the remains of an original gasket possibly?

Any suggestions for preparing the block for the new gasket and removing the leftover gasket material. Its like a paper type material that is over most of the surface of the block. My concern is getting a bunch of it in the antifreeze by falling down in the passages.

Also I'm new to the internal portion of an engine, the pistons have some carbon buildup on them and the head has a lot. A couple of the plugs were black also when I pulled them, I believe from the center cylinders. Is this common or is it maybe running to rich and needs re-jetted in the carb?

Should I try to completely clean the piston tops and block surface and if so what should I use? Don't want to damage anything.

I'd be happy to email some pics if someone is willing to look at them.

sounds like the PO used a steel core composite gasket and gasket sealer, probably to seal a leak somewhere.

for cleaning the gasket surfaces, i like to use a product called mr gasket gasket remover. it comes in a spray can, and is very good a loosening up old gasket and sealer material. be careful not to get any on your skin as it also removes skin very nicely as well. once the gasket remove has done its work, carefully scrape the remains off with a razor blade. i believe summit racing has a tool just for this job. it holds a razor blade at just the right angle.

wipe down the gasket surfaces with a clean lint free towel when done

once the old gasket material is gone, and the surfaces cleaned up, take a long metal straight edge and check the surfaces for flatness and twisting. machines as needed to get that flatness back, the block usually does not pose the problem, but the head can, so check it carefully.

as for cleaning the piston tops, you can two options here, if the deposits are light, then i say leave them be for the time being as it is extra work for little gain. if on the other hand the deposits are heavy, then go ahead and clean the piston tops, but take care to keep the carbon build up out of the water jackets and lifter valley. masking tape comes in handy here, just tape off all the openings, and with the pistons at the top of its bore, you can use a razor blade to knock off most of the material. you dont need to be perfect here.

also vacuum the tops of each piston as much as possible, including the bores on each side of the one you are cleaning. after the engine is back up and running, you can use either 16oz of water dribbled into the engine while running to steam clean the piston tops, or use a 16oz can of chem-tool sprayed into the engine while running to clean off the carbon deposits. i have done both, and both work about equally well. just remember to keep the engine running at about 2000rpm when pushing the water or chem-tool through the engine, and try not to choke the engine down and stall it, especially with the water.

 

[chad]

G' Day,
Thanks for takin us along on yer build.

what helped U decide on a valve job?
Just wondering if ya did a compression test
B4 disassembly, how it turned out…

A lill nosey here, what's the machining
and parts change plan? An ex. port divider
4 dat header in da mix?

Thanks, good luck on it ALL.

 

[60sMustang]

Thanks for the tips on prepping the block surface and cleaning up the pistons. This was basically my plan, to fill any holes I could first and use a razor, then vacuum it out good.

Just wasn't sure if I need to be back to bare metal or just a smooth surface?

Also, to the answer the question of why the valve job. I had a valve ticking noise that I was able to isolate to one valve in the number 2 cylinder. So I'm doing a complete valve job and replacing all the lifters. Also having the machine shop inspect the rocker arm and pushrod, will replace there as needed. This way I'm pretty much guaranteed to get the cause of the noise. And after pulling the head off it looks like it needs it for sure anyway.

I did do a compression test before, got about 115 Lbs on each. Engine was warm, but carb was not wide open, which I've learned since may be the proper way to do the test. Since they were all consistent I decided to not do the test again.

As far as machining and parts,- Std 3 angle valve job, hardened seats on exhaust, mill to compensate for new gasket after checking CC's, and a port divider for the header. Paint job before reinstall.

 

[JackFish]

Try a wire wheel on a drill for that old gasket crap.

 

[harris4d]

Don't know if I'd be comfortable with the "crank it over" method to break it free, but it sounds like it could work also. Anyone else have experience doing this?

Oh I would have been all over this method.. Video and put on YouTube.
Oh well, to late!

 

[60sMustang]

Ya I gave it some thought...which is probably why I chose not to do it. Lol

Can anyone tell me how "clean" the block has to be before reinstalling the head? I have it down to mostly bare metal but there are several spots you can see the outline of the previous gasket still. It's smooth and flat just some leftover paper or adhesive I think. Not sure I can get it any better without sanding it or using a wire wheel. Didn't want to risk damaging the surface. Does it need to be all bare metal?

 

[chad]

Ya I gave it some thought...which is probably why I chose not to do it. Lol
Can anyone tell me how "clean" the block has to be before reinstalling the head? I have it down to mostly bare metal but there are several spots you can see the outline of the previous gasket still. It's smooth and flat just some leftover paper or adhesive I think. Not sure I can get it any better without sanding it or using a wire wheel. Didn't want to risk damaging the surface. Does it need to be all bare metal?

Yes, 'bare metal'. U got it Bro!
Run a finger nail over it… if it doesn't catch - I think yer there. Seems like the machinest
will take care of the odder 1/2, right? Thought U said yer sendin the head out?

Don't forget to check the 'flatness of the block" with a good straight edge. Drag a known straight flat
across the block. Put yer head down there and check 2 C if any light gets out from underneath. That lets U know if it's flat or not.
( NO Dips/high spots). The bare minimum will B taken up by the new gasket.

Sounds like ur gettin there!

 

[60sMustang]

Yes it is smooth all the way around. Just didn't know if still seeing some of the outline to the old gasket was a bad idea to leave that way. I thought it was fine like it is, and I'm pretty anal about things being right. If I understand right the gasket does not use a sealer on the 200 either, so it seals by torque and compression and not by an adhesive. Is this correct?

And yes the machine shop is milling the head as part of the valve job, taking into consideration the difference between the old "stock" gasket and new gasket thickness. They are going to check cc's on the chambers first to see if it's been milled before also.