(new?) Head Question - please help

[t-west]

Based on this picture of my water passage (jacket?), is this head going to be okay for the next year or so? I'm going to install a new water pump, and have already purchased a new 3 row radiator and hoses.

A '79 head w/ valves and rocker assmbly is $100 at the local junkyard, and a very good machine shop quoted me $350 for the 3 angle valve job, port, polish, etc. However, that $450 can go a long way toward getting other things working well (suspension rebuild, disc brakes, etc.). My goal is to build a reliable driver that's as safe as I can get it.

thanks,
--tom[/img]

 

[XFlow_Fairlane]

looks fine to me. that is how every head I have had looked like on the inside. btw for the cost of rebuilding a stock head I would save for an SP head. better performance and similar cost. granted they are $1550 but they do include a header (so with your $450 head and $300 header you would already have over half the cost of it) it is the route I am looking to go now.

 

[t-west]

Ultimately, that's why I'd like to wait -- let the "head wars" settle down and then order. I'm hoping to pull the head next summer and bolt on up. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to have cooling issues re: the water jacket in this thing.

thanks for your vote of similarity,
--tom

 

[XFlow_Fairlane]

tom just make sure you get that gasket area clean on the t-stat. our housings are a poor casting and really got to make sure everything gets in there right

 

[Anonymous]

My head looked just like that when i pulled the T-stat.


Here's what I did - Install T-stat housing, but left T-stat out.

I then mixed 1 quart of muriatic acid in a milk jug with 3/ 4 water. I put in about a gallon of water, started the engine, then slowly poured in the water/acid mix.

Lots of yucky brown suds will come out of the filler neck as the acid does its stuff. Keep a garden hose handy to rinse it all away.

After it settled down, I drained that mix out, flushed with clean water, then repeated the same. I had to run acid through 4 times before I got most of the crud out. It cleans both the block/head really well as well as the radiator.

After all done, I had to flush the whole system with clean water FOUR TIMES to get all the filth out. It took several hours to do this, but everything inside the engine and radiator are CLEAN.

 

[Anonymous]

Oh yeah, my filler neck is off to the side and I have no mechanical fan. Make sure you pull the fan off (but leave pulley/belts on) or you will have a very rusty yucky mess everywhere.

 

[addo]

That buildup of rust and other mineral deposits can actually insulate the metal from the coolant to an extent. It's why when I have a head done, I pull the freeze plugs (we call them Welsh plugs) and get the sandblaster to rip through the passages with garnet. Tanking finishes the job.

Linc's idea about HCl sounds like it should be practical, but be safe and environmentally responsible when you do such things!

Regards, Adam.

 

[Anonymous]

Echoing Addo's remark. I did this many years back. I had an old guy tell me to put a cap full of Muriatic acid (HCl) in the coolant to help flush it out. I gave it a try but I decided to use more. I can't remember how much, but it was too much & I don't think I diluted it first. Knowing that heat increases the reaction rate, I put the cap back on.

Once it got up to temp, that radiator cap was relieving like crazy, spitting and bucking. One of my dumber moves. It cleaned up things good, but probably too good. I think I ended up with a leak in the heater core, but it was probably going to occur eventually. The radiator was relatively new, but had scale in it from the local hard water. The acid dissolves the rust and the scale. I would do it again, but stay with a cap or two of acid or Dilute it as Linc's 200 described. You can always add more later. Flush with clean water again, drain, and refill with distilled water.
Doug

 

[t-west]

Thing is, I have a new radiator and hoses, and I'm replacing the water pump as cheap insurance. Later I intend to replace the heater core. No fluids were drained 17 years ago when It was "stored." I was worried about doing all this yet keeping the head as it is.

Maybe a post '75 head will come sooner rather than later.

--tom

 

[66200i6]

I would install the old parts and radiator first, use a large magnet on the lower return hose with fresh water until the system is running clean. It is amazing how much rust can be removed with one of those magnets. Once this is done you can add the new radiator and pump without running all that rust particulate through the new parts.

Have fun, Ric.

 

[Guest]

This sounds silly, and may not apply to this particular application, since the "crud amount" factor is higher in your case, but after I put the 3 row in a few weeks ago, After I did a full flush, I just started the car, ran a somewhat pressurized hose in the inlet of the radiator, and let it run for two hours, until the crud came out of the block, out through the inlet of the radiator. The head was sandblasted when I rebuilt that, but the block must have had at least the same amount of years of guck in it (I think 20 to 25 yrs, it was a barn find), even though I did a radiator replace a year ago. The coolant was terribly brown when I drained the old blown up radiator, even though only a year old.

Essentially, just standing there, listening to my am radio, and spraying the hose into the new radiator, and the rust coming out as just rusty fluid as it circulated. I think I did stand there for an hour and a half, and the only issue would be to cover the distributor and coil with a plastic grocery bag. Then I rinsed the rest of the motor, only if you have some type of air cleaner assembly that has a small inlet. That could be another issue.

The water was crystal clear after that. Still looks pretty clean.

Ill run it on just water for a month more, then do a full flush and drain again.

 

[t-west]

Just out of curiosity, I pulled the old water pump, the outlet tube of which was starting to break away from rust. The following pictures are what the insides of my water jacket look like. Needless to say, I'm now not nearly as worried about my head as I was before. However, will I simply need a new motor? This one still turns freely . . .

Advice?
--tom

 

[Anonymous]

However, will I simply need a new motor?

Of course NOT!! Just need to clean all that stuff outta there.....if you try muriatic (hydrochloric) acid, it WILL get the insides CLEAN, but you will be doing many flushes for a long while before you get it all dissolved.

 

[hasa68mustang]

I know at my local hardware stores you cant buy regular muratic acid I gues because people use it to make drugs, so when we bought some for our pool it is already dilluted a bit, I am unsure how much though....

 

[Anonymous]

when we bought some for our pool it is already dilluted a bit

You have to dilute it anyway before pouring it in...

 

[t-west]

I'll give it a go and let you all know. I was just concerned that because rust has to come from somewhere, will it have weakened the block enough that I should be worried. I'm not overboring or anything.

I might try that environmenally friendly stuff first (Evapo-rust?), then if it doesn't work rig a pump down my sewage drain.

thanks for the advice and encoragment,
--tom

 

[Anonymous]

Don't get any of the stuff you flush out on your driveway, it will stain it with the rust.

You have an abnormally high amount of crud in there, it will take a while to get the major portion out. Don't strive for perfection, just try to get a bunch out.