SaxMan's Cylinder Head Overhaul / Head Gasket Replacement Thread

[SaxMan]

Some pics from the last few evenings:

Exhaust and intake manifold reattached -- I bought the manifold off Steve (AN5Sprite). Thanks, Steve!

DSC_1607 by onyxsax, on Flickr

Carbs, Heat Sheild and Valve Cover back on:

DSC_1608 by onyxsax, on Flickr

Hanging the exhaust. The front hanger is there, it's just dark and out of focus:

DSC_1611 by onyxsax, on Flickr

Exhaust pipe before the muffler is attached:

DSC_1612 by onyxsax, on Flickr

Better shot of the front hanger. You can also see the errant ground strap has been reattached:

DSC_1618 by onyxsax, on Flickr

 

[SaxMan]

Carb linkages and throttle cable hooked up:

DSC_1619 by onyxsax, on Flickr

New thermostat hardware installed:

DSC_1620 by onyxsax, on Flickr

Muffler installed:

DSC_1623 by onyxsax, on Flickr

My "MacGyver" choke cable pinch bolt. The parts were off an old Schwinn bicycle that I reconditioned for my father.

DSC_1628 by onyxsax, on Flickr

Plug wires hooked up and ready to start! I took the masking tape "flags" off once I was sure I hooked up the wires correctly:

DSC_1630 by onyxsax, on Flickr

 

[58Custom]

Saxman,
When doing the compression tests, do you have the throttle locked open?

 

[SaxMan]

Saxman,
When doing the compression tests, do you have the throttle locked open?

I didn't. I was just cranking the motor over.

I'm not overly concerned with the compression test, since the leakdown test gave me consistent results across all four cylinders. If I hadn't done the leakdown first, I'd certainly be more worried about the results of the compression test. I will try again with a warm motor and the throttle locked.

 

[AN5Sprite]

That manifold looks better on your car than on my shelf!

 

[SaxMan]

A few smalll details tonight: Hood went back on, checked the trans oil and rear diff fluids and had to add a little bit to both. Minor fix to the exhaust, and yes, I figured out the air cleaners. That's awfully sneaky of them to have those little pry holes on the side like that. Only things left are checking the tire pressures, checking the timing and adjusting the carbs. That will probably have to wait a few days as the weather is not going to be cooperative again.

Quick question with the timing: Does the car need to be warmed up before you check the timing?

 

[58Custom]

Having the car warmed up usually ensures a slow, steady idle for a more accurate setting of timing, assuming timing is close and idle mixture is good. Just set it to run pretty smoothly at first and come back to final setting later. That's what I do for a "first start" situation. Set it static roughly before starting , move it a bit when she's running to smooth it, allow the T-stat to open so that the last of the bubbles come out (while doing the cam break in if applicable), then idle down, set timing, set carb mixture and idle down some more and set timing again. Just my shade tree ways.

 

[SaxMan]

Moment of truth: The first test drive

Holy @#$@#$@#!!!! I guess Baby Blue was as eager to get rolling as I was to see her go. After gingerly backing out of my driveway, I put the car into first and it nearly snapped me back. When the motor hit 3,000 RPM, it felt like the afterburner just cut in. I guess in the process of redoing the entire upper half, it sure feels like the car picked up a good 10 to 15 horsepower. I was having a hard time holding the car back, it just wanted to fly!

Everything seemed to be in order upon return home -- just a minor idle adjustment and a couple of screws that needed tightening.

 

[longbridgehealey]

!!!!

 

[drooartz]

Woohoo!

Drive a few extra miles for me.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

I drove my Midget to Cars N Coffee yesterday and it ran like crap on the way there, but on the way back it really started to smooth out.
Now that you've got it back together... keep it rolling. Regular driving is part of preventative maintenance.

 

[58Custom]

Good news! Job well done.

 

[SaxMan]

I drove my Midget to Cars N Coffee yesterday and it ran like crap on the way there, but on the way back it really started to smooth out.
Now that you've got it back together... keep it rolling. Regular driving is part of preventative maintenance.

I would agree. I put another 40 miles on the car today and things seem to continue to sort out. Some of the blue smoke I had seen initially has not come back...maybe the valves have had a chance to seat properly? I thought I may have to readjust the valves, but it seems to be doing okay. I may go back in a month just to make sure. The carbs may be just a smidge off, but one can drive themselves crazy trying for that elusive "perfect" setting. I'll probably wait for consistently warmer weather before I readjust anything. The only significant "squawk" has been the intermittent smell of gasoline in the passenger cabin. I do have the parts to replace the filler tube, which is where I think I'm having the issues...just need some light and some warmer weather to make that fix.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

After a few heat cycles you will want to retorque the head and readjust the valves.

 

[SaxMan]

Rechecked the valve adjustments tonight and checked the torque on the head bolts. For the most part everything checked out with only a couple of bolts needing to be tightened down, and I had to do a bit of adjusting on half of the valves, the other half were fine. The only bolts that needed a cranked down more than just a bit were the thermostat housing ones.

I had a silicone valve cover gasket that didn't seem to be working well as oil was clearly seeping out from under the valve cover. I ordered a cork one from British Parts Northwest (it was the only one that offered) and this one fits a lot better...Can I get away without using any gasket sealant on a cork gasket, though?

 

[nomad]

I like to glue the valve cover gaskets to the valve cover with contact cement and then only grease the side that contacts the head. Usually can get many removal/replacement cycle's out of them that way.

Kurt.