Technical Pull head on SBC without removing intake manifold?

No, I've not had any troubles at all doing things the "right" way. It's when I try cutting corners and not doing things right that I usually end up doing them over later.

 

Oh it's a real thing. I've never missed a left hand signal yet.

 

Well let’s try and sum this up instead of showing who has the longest dick.

For you folks that were working flatrate back in the day, is that how you would do it now? We all know a guy who can pull an engine with a pair of pliers and a ball of twine.

Next observation, and I may be going out on a limb here, I don’t think the OP needs to have this done in 20 minutes.

So even those who have done it to save time for whatever reason, would you agree the best approach would be to pull the intake, pull the head(s), clean things up and put it back together?

Now back to the OP @Greasyman , start another thread about your engine miss, inside the thread post your diagnostics.

My personal opinion is based on what you posted you don’t have a bad head gasket. Let the power of the HAMB help you figure out what the issue is. Don’t make me tell you the story about pulling the heads on an OT car and the tale of crossed plugs wires...it was a friend, ya, a friend.

 

If I were going to attempt this I think I'd put a couple of studs in the head to hold the intake gasket, slide them in though the intake, get the head down on then dowels, start a couple of intake and head bolts then pull the studs.

Had an old beater with a burnt valve 305 that would have been a perfect victim...

 

Typical New HAMB response to the 'what time is it?' question. Four pages to answer a question that was correctly answered in the second post.

 

Wrong. The second post, yours, is not correct. His question, his only question, was

I read at least 3 responses from those who have done it. He didn't ask if it was the right way, if a beginner should attempt it, etc.. That is why it's four pages long.

 

Well, not to belabor a point, but he did ask and stated he’d never pulled a head. From a V8 before, so most could assume he was a beginner in his endeavor. It wasn’t a “can this be done” request as I read the title to the post. As you’d read his post you’d soon figure out the best response for him

 

Here's the solution ... leave BOTH heads attached to the intake manifold Remove ALL head bolts. Lift BOTH heads and intake off as a single unit Change both head gaskets, silicone the block where the intake meets and ... voila, you don't even need to buy intake gaskets

Easiest way is put blocks of wood under your headers, remove head bolts, let the air out of your front tires ... car and engine drop, heads and intake stay propped up on the wood blocks

You are welcome

 

I gave up on the idea of leaving the manifold on, since even those who'd done it didn't seem to think it was such a great idea. I took the manifold off yesterday, but now I can't get the head off. I checked to make sure all the bolts were out about fifty times, all seventeen are on a shelf, and made sure no accessories or wires were still connected.
I tried whacking it with a hammer, and prying it via the ports, but got nowhere.
My next try will be a small chisel carefully inserted between the gasket and head. If that doesn't work maybe cranking the engine and using the compression to blow it off will work.
Any ideas? Thanks.

 

If you're going to that, use a thin putty knife to start. less chance of damaging any thing. I've usually been able to get them off by sticking a bar or hammer handle in a port and giving it a sharp lifting jerk, as in trying to rock the head sideways.

 

Get yourself a 3 ft long pry bar/screwdriver stick it in a intake port and pop it right off.

 

You did remove the lower bolts, correct?

 

He did say he has 17 of them out. Should about do it.

 

That a SBC head F One? Weird lookin.

He said 17 bolts on the shelf.

Well it wasn't the intake...

Try sliding something in the gap and rocking it.

 

If you go the route of cranking it over, fit some bolts in place(loosely).

 

It's supposed to be a '87 350.
I just posted this to make sure he got all the head bolts. He is new to them.

 

Thanks for the advice, I got it off, just kept wailing on it, was actually surprised when it popped off. Unfortunately I don't see anything wrong with the gasket, which is weird since the compression was only 120 on all cylinders on that bank and 150 on the other side. Bolts weren't loose either. Is it possible for a gasket to not work properly but look ok? I'll replace it anyway, since I have the head off.

Almost forgot. There was debris sitting in the counterbores around the 14 and 17 bolts, the ones at the ends under the valve covers. Looked like a valve retainer, but it was pretty chopped up so it was hard to tell. I see no damaged parts anywhere on the head or cylinders or cam valley so I figured that it was old damage and some lazy ass didn't bother to clean the debris out after it was fixed. Any thoughts? Other than that, the engine looks very clean for a 62 year old engine.

 

Sorry to have upset you, but I'll stand by my answer. I just chose to tell him the time, rather than telling him who made the clock, where the clock was made, what the clock was made of, or how to repair the clock. I just figured my answer was simpler than telling him how to do it half assed.

 

Yeah, I'm sorry too. I just didn't feel your derogatory comment "New HAMB way" regarding the subsequent posts was justified. If the Old HAMB way is one word responses and done I'm glad it went away. Not much of a learning experience.

 

Are both head's identical?

 

No, four so far!

Actually I found it quite interesting to hear that mechanics did this way back when.

 

"Wailing on it.." not the best way to describe engine disassembly lol..

Anyway, put the spark plugs back in, turn the head upside down and fill the combustion chambers with gas, see if runs out the ports. Same with the cylinders.

 

I bet a few Ford FE guys have tried it!

 

Well now that his head is thoroughly fucked up.....

 

I ain't gonna argue with any man that can lift 2 cast cyl heads, intake and carb and maybe the distributor, off an an engine!

 

Ugh oh! Should have asked this way back at the beginning; how was the compression test done? Pulled ALL the spark plugs, blocked the carburetor full open, pulled the coil wire, and cranked the engine through FOUR cycles on each cylinder being tested? Wrote down all the results in order, and then REPEATED the test with a squirt of heavy oil into each cylinder through the spark plug hole, and recorded those findings? And also, cranked the engine through several cycles (with plugs in, and coil wire pulled), and then had someone listen at the carburetor, and then someone listen at the exhaust, for the sound of escaping air after engine cranking stopped? What kind of head gasket did you find? Composition or steel shim? Replacing with the same (steel shim for a 283 are really hard to find and $$$ when you do); that's why I think it's wise to do BOTH sides, clean everything up as you go, and have the heads checked by a machinist before re-installing then. Most of us here are NOT journeyman automotive mechanics, we're just guys in a hot rod hobby doing what we love; some of us have learned a lot over many years, some of us are novices, but we're all HAMBERS who look towards one another for help from time to time. I think that's what the OP is, a novice asking for help, and got deluged with anything and everything about how it should be done. If I get stuck, I go to my Motor's/Chilton's, if that does't help, I come here or use another online site. I know a little about everything, a lot about some things, and there's a few things I'm an expert on (ie: Radiology). I'm sure there are some things Greasyman could teach me, and others in this band of misfits that make up the HAMB, and vise versa. No name calling, no fighting, no disparagingly comments. Is't that in the rules? I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

I have to admit that my compression test was a little more casual than the way you describe it, but I think I got enough info to know that the right bank was good and the left was not. Also when I bought the car a few years ago I did do a pretty thorough compression test and I remember being happy with the condition of all cylinders. I've since put only a couple of thousand miles on the car.
Today I filled each combustion chamber with water and none of them leaked for the half hour I left it in there.
They all look fine.
I noticed that the heads have three coolant passages towards the intake side of the surface, while the block has only one, between the 3 and 5 cylinders. The heads are from 1963-65, the block is a '59.
ANYWAY, now I'm wondering if it's possible for a head gasket to be bad without looking bad, maybe warping or distorting just enough to leak.
At least since I took the intake off now I have a good opportunity to paint it, so I'll have accomplished something.

 

56Sedandelivery's method of running a compression test is exactly what I have done and then taught my students for the past 55 years, The only minor difference is that let each cylinder hit five times rather than four. That was because Bill Palmer taught me to do 5 in 1962 in auto shop. All plugs out and throttles blocked wide open are the only way you can do an accurate test though.
Once you have the surface of the heads cleaned up you should lay a straight edge across the head in several places and see if you can slip a feeler gauge between the head and feeler gauge. I can't remember what specs are right off the top of my head but that will tell you if the head might be warped a tad.

 

This should be fun to watch with 4 dowel pins sticking out at 90° angles..... Ok, so who's got the popcorn ready????.....