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  •  » Any advice when putting new heads on a used engine??

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    4/01/2018 9:13 PM  #1

    Daze
    Forum Moderator & Bash host 2011

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    From: Kalispell MT
    Registered: 1/24/2013
    Posts: 1,134

    Any advice when putting new heads on a used engine??

    First let me say I am beginning to see the advantages of EFI.  I have been working on my 351 project and this engine was thought to have around 200K miles on it but when I did a compression test it tested strong.  Today when I pulled the heads there was little to no carbon on the pistons.  I am really impressed!!

    Anyway I removed the heads and the OEM gasket.  I then lightly scraped the gasket and the block surface is looking good but is not fully clean.  What is the best way to prep it for the new gasket and heads?  Any other advice would be appreciated as engine internals are my weakest area of expertise.

    If it isn't broken...modify it anyway! http://www.DazeCars.com https://galaxieforum.boardhost.com
     

    4/02/2018 5:25 AM  #2

    TKOPerformance
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    From: Newark, DE
    Registered: 12/15/2014
    Posts: 7,546

    Re: Any advice when putting new heads on a used engine??

    If there's nothing on the tops of the pistons I would say the engine has nowhere near 200k miles on it.  The carbon buildup on the piston crowns isn't fuel related; its oil from the PCV system.  Now possibly the PCV valve or filter became clogged or gummed up and eliminated or greatly reduced the amount of oil the engine ingested.  It would have leaked from just about every seal though due to the inability of the system to adequately relieve crankcase pressure. 

    Gasket prep is best done with a gasket cleaning pad on an air angle grinder.  Stuff the cylinders and any other openings in the deck with paper towels.  Then thoroughly clean everything prior to reassembly.  Be sure to lightly oil the cylinder walls too.  Engine oil or WD40 are both fine for that. 

     

    4/02/2018 9:34 AM  #3

    MS
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    From: Canyon Lake, Texas
    Registered: 1/24/2013
    Posts: 12,313

    Re: Any advice when putting new heads on a used engine??

    351W has all blind head bolt holes.  Be sure you have blown out all water and debris with compressed air, and apply oil to the head bolt threads and under the heads so you can achieve correct torque readings.  No sealer necessary on the bolts.

    I agree the 90 degree angle grinder with gasket removal pad works best, but it will put fine particles everywhere.  Shop vac is your friend.

    Money you enjoy wasting is NOT wasted money... unless your wife finds out.
     

    4/02/2018 10:14 AM  #4

    Bentworker
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    Registered: 9/17/2017
    Posts: 475

    Re: Any advice when putting new heads on a used engine??

    Other gasket removal options...
    Gasket remover (in a can)
    Easy-off Oven cleaner
    Good paint remover

    Sometimes wet methods are best if you are working on something ancient that may has Asbestos in the gasket.  Probably not a worry with what you are working on.

     

    4/02/2018 2:59 PM  #5

    TKOPerformance
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    From: Newark, DE
    Registered: 12/15/2014
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    Re: Any advice when putting new heads on a used engine??

    You have to be careful with oven cleaner though.  It typically contains lye, which will burn your skin and blind you.  When you need it nothing works better, but heavy rubber gloves and wrap around safety goggles are in order at a minimum. 

     

    4/02/2018 3:43 PM  #6

    6sally6
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    From: Surfside Beach,SC
    Registered: 4/02/2013
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    Re: Any advice when putting new heads on a used engine??

    Had MORE THAN ONE engine dudes say DO NOT use the green 3-M pads and an angle grinder to remove head gaskets!
    I only use a sharp paint scraper and Brakleen (I love that stuff) to do the deed.( I have used a wire wheel on a grinder to remove some of the stuff that seems to have grown on the engine).
    "They" claim the pad method removes not only the gasket butt could divot the flat machine surface of the head.
    The scraper and Brakleen (I love that stuff) works sooo well I figger why chance the other method. It seems to be a more "controlled" method of gasket removal too.
    Shop vac and stuff the cylinders with old "drawers" keeps the big-chunks out.
    6sal6

    Last edited by 6sally6 (4/02/2018 3:45 PM)

    Get busy Liv'in or get busy Die'n....Host of the 2020 Bash at the Beach/The only Bash that got cancelled  )8
     

    4/02/2018 3:55 PM  #7

    DC
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    From: Marshall, MI
    Registered: 4/01/2013
    Posts: 1,251

    Re: Any advice when putting new heads on a used engine??

    I have only used my gasket scraper which is kept sharp like a chisel and brakleen. I am always careful not to dig in with the scraper keeping it fairly flat to peel off all the old gasket. then I spray the brakleen on the towel or rag and rub hard to make sure everything is clean.
     

     

    4/02/2018 3:59 PM  #8

    BillyC
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    From: Chesapeake, Va.
    Registered: 4/02/2013
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    Re: Any advice when putting new heads on a used engine??

    I have a gasket scraper that must be 100 years old and I use gasket remover in a spray can and Brakecleen

    "anyone that stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty"Henry Ford
     

    4/02/2018 6:13 PM  #9

    Steve69
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    From: Madison Wisconsin
    Registered: 4/01/2013
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    Re: Any advice when putting new heads on a used engine??

    I used a wire wheel on a drill and a shop vac on my son's 351.    Seen this on FB.  Kind of what I want to do with the 351W.   https://www.facebook.com/mmffmag/videos/10155932025346001/?hc_ref=ARQmg_0bBmjqu0fgBmr-vdWuSCFkPkVkifctF31vu3AIvOm_fOyU1tcU0AnJiT3Nzlc

     

     

    4/02/2018 6:38 PM  #10

    6sally6
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    From: Surfside Beach,SC
    Registered: 4/02/2013
    Posts: 6,884

    Re: Any advice when putting new heads on a used engine??

    DC wrote:

    I have only used my gasket scraper which is kept sharp like a chisel and brakleen. I am always careful not to dig in with the scraper keeping it fairly flat to peel off all the old gasket. then I spray the brakleen on the towel or rag and rub hard to make sure everything is clean.
     

    Great minds................etc.
     

    Get busy Liv'in or get busy Die'n....Host of the 2020 Bash at the Beach/The only Bash that got cancelled  )8
     

    4/02/2018 7:28 PM  #11

    TKOPerformance
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    From: Newark, DE
    Registered: 12/15/2014
    Posts: 7,546

    Re: Any advice when putting new heads on a used engine??

    6sally6 wrote:

    Had MORE THAN ONE engine dudes say DO NOT use the green 3-M pads and an angle grinder to remove head gaskets!
    I only use a sharp paint scraper and Brakleen (I love that stuff) to do the deed.( I have used a wire wheel on a grinder to remove some of the stuff that seems to have grown on the engine).
    "They" claim the pad method removes not only the gasket butt could divot the flat machine surface of the head.
    The scraper and Brakleen (I love that stuff) works sooo well I figger why chance the other method. It seems to be a more "controlled" method of gasket removal too.
    Shop vac and stuff the cylinders with old "drawers" keeps the big-chunks out.
    6sal6

    Don't use the green pads!  They aen't the gasket cleaning pads!  The gasket cleaning pads are brown.  I heard about that concern too, so I checked with a machinists straight edge after cleaning and found the decks on my 6.0 Diesel were still perfectly flat.  If anyone is creating a problem with an iron deck using a gasket removing pad, well as Ron White said "you can't fix stupid." 
     

     

    4/02/2018 7:39 PM  #12

    MachTJ
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    From: Wisconsin
    Registered: 5/18/2014
    Posts: 348

    Re: Any advice when putting new heads on a used engine??

    I also do not recommend a gasket removal pad. Every one of them removes material from whatever you are grinding on. I have seen this when auto shops would bring in cylinder heads that needed resurfacing after they "cleaned" them with the roloc discs. Several times I had to take a couple more .001's due to excessive grinding near water jackets and around combustion chamber sealing areas. A nice razor blade scraper and some patience is what I would use on the block with rags/ paper towels  in all the holes, nooks, and crannies. If you were cleaning cylinder heads I would just take them to be resurfaced, but that doesn't sound like the case here.

     

    4/03/2018 4:29 AM  #13

    TKOPerformance
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    From: Newark, DE
    Registered: 12/15/2014
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    Re: Any advice when putting new heads on a used engine??

    In those instances it would seem that the person "cleaning" the surface made two mistakes.  One, they used the wrong pad.  Two they tried to remove pitting.  If you've got pitting then you you need to deck the block or head to remove it, or you're not going to get a good seal.  Common sense it seems is still an uncommon virtue...

     

     

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