Hey,
I just developed a blown head gasket. Some friends and myself are going to pull both heads and replace both gaskets while were that deep into the engine.
Hopefully, the heads are not warped or anything and changing them out "looks" pretty straightforward.
Can this job be done in one day or would I be looking at the entire weekend and then some? I installed the cam, but my LE heads had already been installed from a previous combo. Any info would be welcomed.

Thanks,

Tim

 

In most cases that I have seen the heads were warped. If they are, unless you have a hook up at a machine shop that will do it fast, you are looking at longer then a day.

Also, my head gasket was barely blown and my heads were pretty warped, my machinest said if I didnt have him straighten them out, I would have almost instantly blown anther head gasket.

They look flat to me, I guess my eye isnt honed to notice .01 or wahtever

 

Thanks.
I was just going to look at them too and use a feeler gauge, but it does make sense to have them checked by a machine shop. Do you know how much I can have the heads shaved before I run into problems if they are warped pretty bad. My block has not been shaved or bored and I'm going to use the felpro 1074 head gasket.

-Tim

 

You can check them for flatness yourself if you have a machinists rule. It's a long piece of barstock that has been machined flat/parallel. I mess with a lot of head work for friends, and it's a pretty valuable tool to me After cleaning the head up completely (the deck side) you place it on the head, and use a small penlight to see if any light leaks under the flat. If not, then you'll be ok.

On the other hand, it's not a bad idea to have the head surfaced to ensure a smooth mating surface. It's pretty cheap just to have it cut too. I know it'll add a little time to your swap, but it's good insurance.

Dave C.

 

I never pull aluminum heads and then not have them resurfaced. It is necessary in my opinion. It's a major PITA to have to redo a job like that one just because you did not take your time and do it right the first time.

 

I have always been told to think of head gaskets like fuses. They almost never just "go bad". Something usually goes wrong that causes the failure. You need to figure out what made the head gasket blow before you replace it. The head probably needs to be resurfaced.

Dustin

 

Thanks for the help fellas,
All comments and advice is very well appreciated.
I'll post the outcome once everything is said and done.

-Tim