Stuck Head

WORST SCENARIO is a totally seized long front stud & the top of it SNAPS OFF! It's a ***** to drill out, with a home made, extended, drill bit!!! (CURSE-CURSE & triple CURSE!)
Bill Washmymouthout
 
i had the same trouble. i blew a head gasket. i ordered my parts, they where going to get to my house on a sat. i figured i would be on the road , about 3 pm . no such luck. the head was stuck fast! i tried the compression trick twice no go. i ran the motor for about 30 sec. it did not work. I broke the porcelain out of two spark plugs, bolted a chain to them, then lifted the front wheals off the floor, no go. The next thing i used was a Bill Stipe head Puller, i broke one of the studs. one savaging grace was i got so mad, that i would walk away. in the mean time i soaked the studs with Marvels mystery oil and Asidtone at a 50/50 mix. then i would heat the studs with a torch, and knock them around with a small hammer. then i got new studs for the head puller, and kept pressure on the head, lots of heat and the mixture. also i would heat the sides of the head . Finley i got some movement, i would knock the head back down, pull it up, heat and more mixture. then it gave up.it took me 3 weeks to get it off. after i got some movement out of it , it took 3 hrs to get it off. the left front water neck stud fought me all the way to the end. i was able to get all the studs out with out braking one! so new studs and i had the head milled. George at Industrial machine did it for me. it was around 200 bucks. just take your time and it will come... good luck
 
An update:

First, thanks to all to weighed in encouraging me to be patient. I did follow that advice and spent three weeks working the head up and down with the puller, adding penetrating oil, letting it do its job, using wood wedges, and prying from the corners, etc., and it finally let loose and I got it off undamaged. Here's what I found:

The head gasket was not blown. I took the head to the head shop and it had two cracks, both around the No. 5 stud hole, one from the stud to the first water passage, then from there to the large water hole. The head was also slightly warped.The block, which was rebuilt many years ago, looked to be in great shape, and after cleaning I see no visible cracks, definitely none between the cylinders. None of the pistons showed water exposure.

I was taking the head off in the first place because of water on the dipstick. I also have now taken the valve cover off and found significant amounts of white gunk (which I have cleaned out). I have a prepared head I'm ready to put on, but I am concerned that I may not have found or corrected was what causing the water problem in the first place. Any thoughts on that would be greatly appreciated. And thanks for everyone's help!
 
WHN said:
Use Marvel Mystery Oil on studs, do not remove spark plugs, with key off press starter button. Make sure you give oil time to penetrate the studs.

Nuts most be removed from head studs.

Has always worked for us?

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Click to expand...
 
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Several short cold starts and short drives can cause the white condensation inside the engine. I don't start and engine unless I know it will be run for 30 minutes or more, so it burns off the condensation.
 
Trying to keep the head level is the trick . I had a very very stubborn head that just would not budge so I built a killer head puller . This was a couple of years ago but the pics will still be available here on the site .A bit time consuming to fabricate but well worth it . I went to a flea market (car boot (trunk) sale in UK ) and bought several large kitchen carving knives ,I cut them into 2" wide sections and used these all around the head as wedges .Just went round and round the head driving them in .After movement remove the wedges and bang the head down and repeat. Take care not to hit a valve with a wedge ..Took several days using UK Kroil equiv leaving to soak overnight . The very last resort is to break the head up to remove it but this is not for the faint hearted !!! . Used heads are cheap and plentifull .

John in sunny Suffolk County England .
 
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CorrosionX 16oz spray bottle, Ebay $15.99, free delivery b4 Aug. 9
I like spray bottles as you can spray as much or as little as you like. Aerosol cans sometimes quit.
 
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