Head Removal: Tips 'n Tricks

2

'29 Pickup

Member
Please can I have people's tips and tricks for a relatively easy head removal, preferably without cracking the head which I intend to re-use and without special tools.

I've seen the rope trick but that only works with an engine relatively free of rust, which I suspect mine isn't. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TNwtHdvH1w&t=26s
Car not running so won't be able to use engine compression.

Not a big fan of the plate and bolt procedure.

Thanks.
 
'29 Pickup said:
Not a big fan of the plate and bolt procedure.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

That method applies force in four strong spots. I suppose if the spark plug threads are weak, it could strip them, but maybe that is better than the threads failing on the road.

This isn't much different, for use with the engine hoist:
297252
 
Bruce of MN said:
That method applies force in four strong spots. I suppose if the spark plug threads are weak, it could strip them, but maybe that is better than the threads failing on the road.

This isn't much different, for use with the engine hoist:
Click to expand...


Can anyone please tell me what is the thread size in the spark plug once the ceramic part is removed? I don't have one here.
If using the engine hoist method, is there any benefit to running a heat gun around the joint first?
 
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I didn't know that a spark plug had female threads. After breaking out the ceramic, I used a load rated forged eyebolt and nut and centered it with JB Weld, then ground the nut corners to clear the spark plug threads. Welding works, too.

I don't think a heat gun would make much difference at the joint. Maybe a propane torch at the studs, with your favorite penetrating oil.

A search here for Head Removal should give you a lot of tips.
 
Bruce of MN said:
I didn't know that a spark plug had female threads. After breaking out the ceramic, I used a load rated forged eyebolt and nut and centered it with JB Weld, then ground the nut corners to clear the spark plug threads. Welding works, too.

I don't think a heat gun would make much difference at the joint. Maybe a propane torch at the studs, with your favorite penetrating oil.

A search here for Head Removal should give you a lot of tips.
Click to expand...


I'm wondering where the sticking points actually are. Surely the head gasket keeps the head and block from fusing together with rust? Is it around the studs where they go through the head that the fusing occurs? If so I think heat and penetrating oil on the studs would indeed be a good start, before the hoist.

I have a hoist leveller, in which case would the angle iron in your picture be necessary...perhaps for load sharing between the bolts?
 
This is how I do it.
 

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This has worked for me.

Remove distributor, fan belt, and upper water hose. Remove all of the head bolts.

Now hit the starter. Compression should pop head up.

Enjoy.
 
The sticking points most generally are between the stud and the cylinder head itself they get rusty and corrode and you have a lot of studs that are corroded.
 
'29 Pickup said:
I'm wondering where the sticking points actually are. Surely the head gasket keeps the head and block from fusing together with rust? Is it around the studs where they go through the head that the fusing occurs? If so I think heat and penetrating oil on the studs would indeed be a good start, before the hoist. yes
I have a hoist leveller, in which case would the angle iron in your picture be necessary...perhaps for load sharing between the bolts?
Click to expand...

The angle iron splits the load between two points, yes.
 
Spray Deep Creep, Kroil or a similar penetrant around the head studs with the nuts removed. Do this a couple times a day for a few days. Like Fullraceflathead writes, I have found the usual sticking point is where the studs go up through the head. Rust forms here and makes the studs stick to the cast iron head, or visa versa. By allowing penetrating spray to loosen that bond, you stand a better chance of lifting up the head using any of the tools recommended so far. Use wood wedges of varying thickness to drive between the block and the head. Try to keep the head level when doing this. A long crowbar also helps, avoiding pinching any valve heads that are in the up position.
There have been times in the past where nothing - and I mean NOTHING - helped, even allowing the car to dangle from an engine hoist with a chain running to a spark plug eyebolt. In such extreme cases, it was necessary to use a heavy hammer and simply break the head into pieces. The head breaks easily because it is cast iron and has many hollow water cooling cavities that compromise the integrity of the head. Be sure to wear heavy gloves and eye protection if you must resort to destroying the head. The remaining pieces can then be picked off from around the studs. If the head is that rusted in place, it's mostly likely not reusable anyway.
Marshall
ADDED: Make sure you have FACE protection as well as eye protection. Those flying cast iron shards can cause serious facial damage when they split away from the head as you strike with a heavy hammer. Use a full face plastic shield.
 
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One other thing sometimes helps: the more studs you can remove prior to lifting off the head, the better. This reduces the number of sticking points for the head to slide past. If you are planning on replacing the studs anyway, try a vise grip with good teeth to grab onto the exposed threaded portion of the studs and twist them out. If they won't loosen after using reasonable force, stop. You do not want to snap a stud off!
Marshall
 
As has been suggested above, lots of penetrating oil. May take a few squirts a day for a week. I bought the head remover kit from Snyders that is similar to the angle iron above. The kit is a pair of plates that puts pressure on the studs to lift the head. If you have to, you can torque it down a little, let it set for a while and come back to it. A lot of times it will have raised up with the constant pressure.

Here's the link,

Snyders - Product Cylinder Heads HEAD PULLER KIT A-6010-PX https://search.app/kB3SUd7gnxCwHduNA
 
Don't use the rope trick. In my opinion there is a good chance of damaging the rods doing so.

You can use an engine hoist to apply lifting force but be very careful because if the head does come off when doing so the head can and will come up quickly and damage (destroy) your junction box.

Resist the urge to use a pry bar, screw driver etc... to pry up the head because you can damage valves and or bust the edges of the block while doing so.

If you have a head that is very stuck using the head puller available from the vendors that screws into two of the spark plug holes and pushes against four of the head studs works very well and is money well spent.

When lifting the head as others have mentioned the main source of resistance is the friction between the head studs and the head.

When you get it to move concentrate on lifting the head evenly. Sometimes I have had to put a head stud nut back on one or two studs to keep the head from lifting in that area to allow the other areas to lift / catch up.

Another thing that helps is to drive the head back down onto the block after getting it to move some. Doing so will loosen the rust surrounding the head studs.
 
I'm starting to favour the plate and bolts method as in George's video in the first post.

A pain in the neck to set up but looks like it solves all the issues and problems people have brought up and George says he has never known it not to work. It provides a nice slow even pressure on ALL the studs at more or less the same time and no chance of the head suddenly hitting the roof.
The other thing I like about it is that I have seen the commercial tools ( and the rope trick) really only do either a couple of studs at a time or they are only able to lift up to about an inch or even less. Plenty of times I have seen that the head starts to lift a few mm and then stops, still stuck....it still has another few inches to go but the commercial tool or using compression, 'aint gonna get you there. George's design eliminates all those issues.

Now, where do I get 7/16"x9" coach/carriage bolts....hmm, I can't, so I am going to use all thread for all of them 10mm which is about 1mm less than 7/16".....as I will be using that American miracle whip, JB Weld for the spark pug holders and it only sits on top of the studs without threading in, the size doesn't matter.

PS: Please excuse the use of mixed measures, sometimes it's easier to visualise a few mm and sometimes it's easier to visualise an inch....we still do that a lot in Oz.
 
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