• Hey Guest!
    British Car Forum has been supporting enthusiasts for over 25 years by providing a great place to share our love for British cars. You can support our efforts by upgrading your membership for less than the dues of most car clubs. There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Upgraded members don't see this banner, nor will you see the Google ads that appear on the site.)
Tips
Tips

Wedge How hard to swap heads on TR8?

Share this page

T

tdskip

Yoda
Country flag
Offline
Hi guys - i keep seem to double down on the TR8. So I bought a set of 4.0 heads from Woody (thanks Woody!) to go with the 4.0 block that is in the car.

The heads have been professionally rebuilt and are ready for instlalation on the car. I've never done an R&R on heads before and am wondering if I should leave this for the pros or give it a go myself.

Any coaching for me?

Thanks,

Tom
 
Not too difficult. Mind the bolt sequence on removal and install. Get some new head gaskets - metal ones for higher compression; the composite ones lower it a tad. You may want to replace the studs while you're at it; there's a kit available. New header gaskets, intake manifold gasket, etc., etc.

You'll have to drain the coolant, and that can be messy. You'll still have a river or two when you pull the intake manifold, so be careful there.

Some really helpful info here
 
It is a lot easier when you take off the engine cover. Don't forget new head bolts. I got mine from Gold Coast Rovers, one of our supporting vendors. Cost me about $150 for the set. I re-used the washers. Gold Coast also has the composite head gasket and the uprated valve cover gaskets.

I just replaced the head gaskets on my 81 tr7v8 DHC. I got the composite head gaskets from Rimmer Bros because I needed 3.5 liter head gaskets. Cost me about $75 with shipping. If you order from them they sell the head gaskets separately so order two unless you buy a head set.

Just take your time. Don't rush through it or you will forget something and have to take it all apart again. The part I dislike is taking off the intake manifold. I find that the most tedious task.
 
Back
Top