Just looking for a basic list of things I'm going to need to replace the head gaskets on my Z. AFter reading almost every post in here regarding head gaskets (there are quite a few and very helpful), I've ended up with the following list. My main questions are with gaskets..there is a felpro gasket set for around 200, that has a ton of gaskets included as well as valve seals. Is this required, or is it overkill? I don't want buy just the head gaskets and be in the middle of this to realize that I need intake gasket, valve cover gaskets, etc. Just looking to see what is actually needed from someone that has done this before.

List -

Head Bolts - ARP or Felpro (Felpro are cheaper I think, they ok?) I know not to reuse the old bolts

Heads - Spoke with a good, local machine shop who will test/machine them for $150...sounds like a steal to me, is that a good price?

Spark Plugs - Have a set of NGK's I've been meaning to put in, now's as good a time as any, lol.

Gasket Set - Felpro? Like I mentioned, you can get just the head gaskets, or a whole gasket set. I also see there is an MLS version that apparently has embedded metal in it, or a rubber version? Which one should I get?

Also, I pressure tested the coolant system, somebody here advised me to do it. It held 15lbs of pressure for about a minute, then it started to fall and I heard coolant draining or dumping inside the engine, underneath the intake area. In the event that I find antifreeze in the oil (don't see any on the dipstick, but I was lucky to have this happen in my driveway so it has run VERY little in this condition)...should I drain the oil and just fill it with cheap stuff for now, to avoid having the crank/bearings sitting in coolant? It'll be a few weeks before I can do this, I live in ny and it'll be a driveway job.

Thanks guys

 

It wouldn't be a bad idea to replace the valve seals once the heads are off. It will require removal all of the valve springs though. What head gaskets are you going with? You could use the Impala head gaskets and bump your compression slightly (not enough to warrant a pushrod length change) and get a slight performance increase.

You won't need valve cover gaskets, pending the ones you are using now are in good shape. They are reusable.

Don't forget the steam tube, banjo bolts, and seals on the back of the heads. They are a commonly overlooked part.

You should ALWAYS change the oil whenever you expose the internals of an engine, IMO.

If your motor is bone stock, NGK TR55s gapped at .050" (stock) will work just fine.

Assuming your lifters are in good shape (no pitting or marring) you can reuse them too.

 

How about bolts? Are fel pro good or go with ARP? I can understand if your running force induction you would want ARP.

 

Bolts are relatively cheap...go with the ARP's and you won't have any worries. Fel-pro doesn't make bolts and are getting them somewhere...any guesses where?

 

This is exactly why I'm asking these questions..I don't want to put the wrong bolts in there...find out later they're garbage or whatever. If the ARP bolts are what I should use, I'll get those. This engine is completely stock and I'm not going to run a charger or turbo if that matters.

I'm going to get the whole gasket set, maybe I'll have the guy doing the machine work change the seals while he's at it cuz they are included in the set. That is, of course, if the heads are still good. If they're bad, this car goes from a DD to a project car and I'll start stockpiling parts for a nice engine rebuild.

The oil that's in it right now is mobil1, only about 1.5k on the oil and it's a dark black. Wondering if that means it's burnt? Absolutely no foam or milky color on the dipstick..so at least that's good. Not sure which is best (or worse I guess) if the coolant goes into the oil or the combustion chamber? I've got pretty thick white sweet-smelling smoke coming out the tail.

 

134-3601 are the ARP head bolts that I used on my build.