Cylinder head removal [HELP]

S

Steve Rinaldo

Member
I am trying to remove the head on my "A" as it blew a head gasket today on a test run. Every thing is off but the head won't budge.I've tried using compression. and prying on the pump boss. I was thinking the next step would be trying to remove the studs. Any other thoughts? Thanks, Steve
 
Spray Kroil on all the studs and use a head puller sold by the parts houses. The last head I removed, I still had to tap knife blades into the center of the head gasket. By center, I mean the material between the copper layers. Some of those heads are really stuck.
 
Lots of panther pee and use a drift and gently hammer under the overhang of the head just below the water pump.

And putty knives.


Dennis L Oberer
Green Bay WI
 
if the head wont come off its because its stuck to the head studs and you will never be able to remove them, you might try putting the nuts back on leaving them up a couple of threads then soaking then over nite with a good penetrating oil, i use a 50/50 mixture of acetone and auto trans fluid, the best stuff i have found for loosing stuck stuff, then start engine and see if the running of the engine will loosen head, you might try tapping on the studs with a plastic or lead hammer to try and get enough viberation to loosen the suds in the holes thru the head
 
Steve Rinaldo said:
I am trying to remove the head on my "A" as it blew a head gasket today on a test run. Every thing is off but the head won't budge.I've tried using compression. and prying on the pump boss. I was thinking the next step would be trying to remove the studs. Any other thoughts? Thanks, Steve
Click to expand...
Steve time to try "Gord's Easy Head Puller it has a 100% history of removing every head it has been attached to call 1-519-376-5987
Have a Great day Gord. B By the Bay
 
You said you tried compression? Does the engine run with the head nuts off?

Is it loose at all?

If it is, try wooden wedges used to shim doors and drive them in around the head. DO NOT USE METAL
 
No doubt, not worth wasting time buy a head remover from one of the parts houses, my roadster head was soooooo stuck, soaked all studs for days using different solvents, knives between gasket material, engine lift eyelets in the spark plug holes which lifted the front off of the ground and hung for days. The build-up around the studs kept it from moving. Bought the head puller from Brattons, and in about 10 minutes after installing, the head came right off. The combination pressure from the upward force being applied to the studs works fantastic. If I would have had this it would have saved days of wasted time. Every garage should have one.....
 
When I got tired of waiting for my head puller to get off back order, I did something that was kinda drastic, but it worked for me. I used a small hydraulic jack and lifted VERY LIGHTLY AND CAREFULLY the water pump near the head. On the bottom I used 2X4's built up to not mess up the pulley. I would lift a little, put a scraper underneath then work it down, next I used a flat pry bar, one of those kinds that 1/4" thick and again carefully worked the head up and down, dousing the head studs after each attempt. Slowly it got it to move up and down enough to break free the rust and it came right off with no damage. The key here is to do it very slowly and carefully.... Again, if you're not sure don't try this, but it worked for me. Another thing to try is to use a couple of engine lifting eyes and an engine hoist. Again, do it very carefully or you can really screw up your engine and car. If you aren't as impatient as me, I would still recommend ordering a proper head puller or borrowing one. Just my 2 cents. Harry K
 
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