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SaxMan's Cylinder Head Overhaul / Head Gasket Replacement Thread

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Supposed to be -18 Monday morning before wind chill in Dayton. I feel like I'm back in Milwaukee.
 
I popped out all the valves tonight. It was a bit tougher of a job as the tool I was using was one of those that allows you to compress the spring with the cylinder head on the car, versus the more traditional C-clamp type tool when the head is off. Also the tool looks like it was designed for an engine with bigger valves, so the tool slipped off more than a few times.

The head goes to the machine shop tomorrow or Tuesday. In the meantime, I'm going to do some other "housekeeping" tasks like replacing the exhaust, replacing hood latch cable, possibly replace the starter and generally clean up the engine compartment. I imagine it is going to be easier to do this with the car jacked up and placed on both front and rear jackstands. When you're putting the car up "on all fours", I'm guessing you lift each side a little at a time rather than lift one side to the max and then go and lift the other side? Or does it not matter?
 
Not from the side. Need a floor jack now raising the rear lowers clearance in the front and vice versa. Rear raised with floor jack under center of differential. Low profile jack is needed. I've got my way I'll let others expound on their ways to get it up in the air and where they place jack stands. You need to be careful at
all times when working under the car.
 
It's been a long time since I put one of my cars on 4 jack stands, but Jim's advice reminded me. I had to jack the back of the car first and put jack stands under it (on their lowest height). Then jack the front up to the height I wanted, and then return to the rear and raise it the rest of the way.

Where to place the stands? On the rear I use the front spring hanger plate. On the front I use the chasis rail where to emerges from the tub.

Don't forget to put a block of wood across the front crossmember before jacking it up (otherwise it will dent in)
 
Yes, I pretty much do what Trevor does.

One point: I would not jack the car up on the "pumpkin" area of the rear axle. I know people do this, but Spridget rear axles aren't that tough and I've seen plenty of them with a slight kink in them as a result of this practice. You can jack it up where the leaf spring connects with the rear axle (against the big U-bolts)

One other point: I never go under the car if I'm home alone. I like to have someone who is at least within earshot (ie. - screaming distance)
 
If I do go under the car (when home alone), then I slide a couple of railroad tie chunks under the car just in case. Even removing the wheels and stacking them under the car would increase your odds should it come off the jack stands. I've never had a car come off the jack stands nor have I known anyone to which it has occurred. However, better safe than sorry. If your wife worries about it, then start explaining how much safer an autolift would be. :smile: Worked for me!
 
I do go under the car alone, but I shake the car - hard! before I ever go under it at all.
 
And install jack stands under the front frame rails and not as I learned one time under the leading edge of the cockpit / footbox. You will soon discover you have found the balance point on a Spridget. No it did not fall but I leaned against the front of the car and discovered my leaning in raised the car off of the rear jackstands.
 
I dropped the cylinder head off at the machine shop. They are going to repair the blanking plug in accordance with Hap's method, and will also install the new valvetrain for me as well. I should have it back by the middle of next week. Estimate is in the $350 to $450 range.

With jacking the car...you mean to place the jack stand ahead of the rear wheel where the spring meets the body? Trying to get what I can done before near-zero nighttime temps keep me from working in the garage. I'm still hoping to have the car back up and running by March 1st.

Never mind -- I found the plates you guys were talking about.
 
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Photos from last night and tonight's fun:

Cylinder head ready to go to the machine shop:

DSC_1201 by onyxsax, on Flickr

Box full of valves and springs. Is it worth keeping the old parts? I'm getting quite a junkpile of discarded parts and hardware!

DSC_1205 by onyxsax, on Flickr

After dropping the exhaust and removing the manifold, it looks like I may have been losing oil from my head gasket as well. This looks a lot more long term than the blanking plug issue that took the head gasket out.

DSC_1207 by onyxsax, on Flickr

Dragging the pipe out from under the car. I don't think you can tell from this pic, but there was a nice dent in the exhaust pipe right at the bend.

DSC_1210 by onyxsax, on Flickr

Muffler looks a little bit worn:

DSC_1211 by onyxsax, on Flickr

A little bit of elbow grease to clean up the block a bit:

DSC_1212 by onyxsax, on Flickr

I know I need to take the flange off the old pipe. It looks like the easiest way to do that is to take a hacksaw to the old pipe...unless there is some trick I'm missing?

When installing the new pipe, do I need any muffler weld or does everything go together with friction?

The machine shop guy does have some experience with LBC's...He owns a Spitfire, so he has some degree of familiarity with British motors. His shop was pretty cool, there were cylinder head of every shape and size floating around, but my 1275 head was definitely one of the smaller ones!
 
Oily block is probably just from the valve cover gasket leaking.
 
I would take this opportunity to look at a good header and go to a mom and pop muffler shop for a pipe. I spent $20 for the pipe, swageing, and welding, but I have a header. I agree with Trevor about the oil on the block and it's pretty common to see.
Rut
 
While you are at it and have the car on a lift consider adding what is essentially a skid plate right at the point where that exhaust pipe is at it's lowest point. Someone, possibly Bud Osbourne? Posted pics on another forum for welding a heavy piece of steel to the chassis rail / edge of the opening where the exhaust pipe goes through the body. The lowest point of contact with the ground becomes this point rather than the exhaust pipe. A simple solution which would not cost much to fabricate but access to the underside of the car to fabricate would be required. Could whoever posted those pics do so again with possibly some dimensions. I think this is a setup many of us could use. I for one will be adding to Bugsy II when he goes upside down in the next few months.
 
Jim_Gruber said:
While you are at it and have the car on a lift consider adding what is essentially a skid plate right at the point where that exhaust pipe is at it's lowest point. Someone, possibly Bud Osbourne? Posted pics on another forum for welding a heavy piece of steel to the chassis rail / edge of the opening where the exhaust pipe goes through the body. The lowest point of contact with the ground becomes this point rather than the exhaust pipe. A simple solution which would not cost much to fabricate but access to the underside of the car to fabricate would be required. Could whoever posted those pics do so again with possibly some dimensions. I think this is a setup many of us could use. I for one will be adding to Bugsy II when he goes upside down in the next few months.
Click to expand...

I would like to see pictures/drawings of this too. Now is the perfect time for me to add it to my Bugeye.
 
Keith think of an I beam shape about 3"-4" high just long enough and welded so that this is the lowest section. Appeared to be 6-8" long. Angled at 45 degrees on the front. Bottom upside down T. This could be 2 T sections welded together and then welded to the bottom of the car.
 
I do have a new header, courtesy of Steve (AN5Sprite).

I got the car up on "all fours", but decided to take it down again when I completed my work for the evening. I figure the 5 or 10 minutes it takes to jack up / bring back down the car isn't that big of a deal. I think I can get away with lifting one end of the car at a time when I put the new exhaust back in.
 
Since you have a header you won't need any of the old exhaust manifold/exhaust pipe and hardware. Once the header is in position measure the length of pipe needed to put the muffler in the correct place. When using most headers the pipe is just a straight piece of the correct diameter, either 2" or 1.75" and can be swaged either up or down to fit...no adapters needed. I bought a piece long enough to 'cut to fit' once I got home and it worked out perfectly.
Rut
 
Sorry, I think I got my terminology mixed up. It's basically the same exhaust manifold that was there before, not a header, but it is in much nicer shape than the original one.
 
In that case save your hardware! I would take my old exhaust to a mom and pop shop for duplication. I've even seen a two piece system from the exhaust manifold connecting to the main exhaust. Still very simple and cheap and I prefer swageing over adapters.
Rut
 
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