My first ever flathead and looking for advice about what I should do before I put the head back on. Its on a 50 Dodge inline 6 cyl. Sat for many years and 3 exhaust valves were stuck. I got them freed up and now I'd like to put it back together and hear it run before I do anything else with the car. I'm not looking to rebuild the motor at this point. So...I've got a new gasket and bolts and have chased the head bolt threads and inspected for cracks. What else? Should I use some sandpaper and a flat to clean up the head face? And how should I clean the engine block top face? What about the valves? Can I use a wire wheel in an air tool to clean down in the seats when the valves are up? And should I sandblast the top of the head (staying away from the milled face) and hi temp paint it? And how bout cleaning out potential debris from the motor interior after I've done all this? Pour diesel or gas down the galleys and drain it out the pan? As you can see, lots of noob questions here. Thanks!
vacuum out the debris. I would leave the valves and ports alone, if you're not going to take the valves out. I usually use a whetstone dipped in solvent to clean up the mating surfaces, after carefully scraping off the stuck stuff with a sharp wood chisel. It's not rocket surgery...but it's close, so take your time, and do a good job.
Since you have the head off, how do the cylinders look? Real easy to replace the rings in chassis on these cars if you need to.
They look really good and no ridge, basically, other than a little crud. The car has 47 k miles on it. Verified by the owner. I rescued it (brought in down by barge) from a little village at the end of a long lake where you can only get in by boat...and theres about 5 miles of road it could have driven around on.
Check the stuck valves and seats for rust pits. Ideally, these 3 valves should be removed and if no real rust damage is present I would lap them, clean any lapping compound off thoroughly and and put them back in the same holes they came out of (important). I would also pull the oil pan and wash it out with some diesel fuel and a stiff brush. Remove and scrub the oil pump screen . You can pretty much do what you want with the head but be sure there are no evidence of old gasket or sealant on the head or block surfaces. Before installing the head, vacuum around the piston diameter to remove any unseen junk that dropped down the cylinders. New gaskets with head bolts torqued to spec and in proper order (also important). With that you should be good to go. Good luck.............. Glenn in Wyoming
Thanks guys...all good and helpful info. And what about cleaning and painting the head? Im thinking that's a personal preference kinda thing. But, what is typically done? Just leave it bare, or paint it?
Do what Jim said,,,,and you will be fine . By the way,,,,,were the old head bolts bad ? They can be reused,,,,,probably better quality than new . The old ones are not torque to yield. Tommy
I cleaned the exterior of my engine with carb cleaner and then went to town with rattle can enamel from WalMart (Krylon) in a suitable color. With exception of right up under the exhaust manifold where it's blackened slightly the paint has done just fine. I painted the head from mine before refitting it, that allowed me to make sure the plug holes were clean and clear, there was no seeping paint on the mating faces etc. Smelled funky for about 15 minutes, after which it's been fine. (About 3000 miles and a year on the paint there) Phil
They were pretty corroded along the shanks and the bolt heads were not a very true octagon any more. I bought same size standard black oxide grade eights...not designated headbolts, so I doubt they're torque to yield.
Compare the bolts you bought to the head bolts you want to change. Above is a 218 head bolt. Notice the extra “meat” below the hex.
pictures of the old head bolts? As for cleaning the head....I'd clean the soft oil off with solvent, and not worry about getting it any cleaner than that. If you're not doing the same to the entire engine, it'll look dorky with a clean and painted head.
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