Pretty good advice for once. you can usually find that book in the book section at parts houses or on Amazon. If you aren't in a hurry some of the vendors who have it listed there have it a bit cheaper. If you have a used book store close by check there along with the thrift stores if you want to save a buck. Best suggestion posted is Ice man's of draining the cooling system. There are usually two plugs with pipe threads on the sides of the block above the pan rail that you can take out and drain the block. Sometimes y0u have to poke around in the hole with a wire if there is crud in the bottom of the cooling passage in the block to get the coolant to drain. The suggestion of laying things out on a board or table in an organized manner is an excellent one. Taking photos as you go is an excellent one. Don't force anything, there is nothing on the engine that should take a lot of hard prying to get off.
A SBF engine can be disassembled without removing the distributor as far as I know? Is there something I don't know that makes people want to pull the distributor when doing intake and heads?
[QUOTE="RodStRace, post: 13992044, member: 44364" Block drains on each side will help get more coolant out so when the heads are removed, less will spill out. However, they are often hard/impossible to remove. Proceed with caution [/QUOTE] If you can get the plugs out on both side and drain the coolant out of the block lower than the outside edge of the the better off you will be. Very good advice. Motor mounts may be in the way...
Thank you rodstrace. I am familiar with removing the intake manifold.and TDC and what is required to the point where I have to remove the heads. No problem. Currently my focus is just on proper removal of the heads. If when you say "they are often hard/impossible to get out" you are referring to block drains, that might help me to know. Thanks for that. First I have to locate where they are. Then determine if there is a better way if they are as you say hard/impossible to get out.
Thank you Jimmy6. That at least gives me some idea of where the block drains are. Every little bit helps.
Sometimes the block drains are hard to access, or nearly impossible to remove. After removing the lower radiator hose, which is the lowest other point, jack the back of the car up as high as you can safely. That will drain more coolant. Set it back down before pulling the heads.
If you don't have a good 'click type' torque wrench, Canadian Tire quite often has either their Mastercraft or Mastercraft Maximum on sale for close to half price. I am speaking of the 1/2" drive units. Whoops, just read that you have both types.
So that's at least two guys who know what's what telling me the task of removing a block drain is "hard to access and near impossible to remove." Without supervision, I think it best to just deal with the mess of coolant with rags and Scott towels as best I can. But maybe jacking the rear might help anyway?Thank you everyone.
I have both types of torque wrench. Thanks borntoloze. And I write down all these instructions (the useful ones at least) and at the top of that list is a reminder to disconnect the battery. But thanks for that. Never too safe. I take out the battery for winter anyway so I'll do this job and then replace the battery when done. Thanks again.
Hell, give it a try. Locate the plugs. If they are accessible try to loosen them. You might get lucky. If not, just quit. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Timidity is not an attribute when tearing into things.
They are small pipe thread plugs. This means they are installed pretty darn tight with sealant when the block is bare and access is simple. Then they are down the side of the block, where dirt, rust and junk can collect in and around the plug. They are typically Allen or hex drive and small. Some are square head. I tried to find a good picture or video for you, but there really wasn't a good, clear shot of both sides. Here is one side, you will have to locate the other. It is the silver one in front of the three casting or freeze plugs.The arrow is NOT pointing at it, that's the ID.
I also use a small wooden dowel rod with a paper towel wrapped around it to "soak" the coolant out of the lower head bolt holes in the block, followed by running a tap by hand in all the holes. All that is after using a gasket scraper and scotch brite on the block. Some spray copper or aluminum paint on their head gaskets, but I don't. Use a quality gasket and torque to spec using the proper sequence.
Well I know I am certainly going to look for the plugs (two, one on either side ?) but still not sure if it is worth attempting to turn them out. One thing I've learned so far is that nothing should be forced. Conversely, some things require a little elbow grease so I have to learn where each component draws the line. It's a lot to learn with a bad memory, so I take notes and refer to them often. I'm writing all these tips down to follow in the garage. Thank you one and all !
Books are great, personally I like to have a factory type repair/ service manual and a general kind as the factory type gives lots of details but they assume you know what your doing so some procedures are glossed over, whereas the general type will get generaly explain step by step, unfortunately the newer books will often not cover some things and refer you to a dealer. Unfortunately caused by fuck wits who can’t accept responsibility for the decision to tackle a repair on their own, mini rant over. Another thing I did not see mentioned is the locating dowels, each head will have 2 or maybe more, they can make it a bit difficult to remove the the head as well as the type of head gasket, if steel shim, should be easy, if the older composite type these have a tendency to more or less glue the head to the block, harder to clean off as well.
I think if you remove the lower rad hose, the coolant will drain out to below the level of the deck surfaces. There's no need to get more coolant out than that. Often when you get the block drain plugs out no coolant will drain until the rust and dirt behind them is poked through with a small screwdriver.
Google, U Tube Small Block Ford cylinder head removal. There are some available and can be used as a guide. As has been said remove the rocker arms and pushrods and keep them in order, you do not have to remove the lifters. Go slow take pictures Google and you will be fine. Coma back here and ask if you get stuck. Listing your location in your profile may reveal a member right down the street from you who could watch and guide you.
"caused by fuck wits ..." I love it. Some people can really turn a phrase. Thank you everyone. Some valuable hands on stuff here. I'd write more but first I have to Google utube small block ford cylinder head removal. Oh and I listed my location as you advised. During Covid, it is unlikely anyone will watch and guide but it is nice to know I can return to the site if I stumble and need guidance. I'll get through this. It's hard but I love it. Thanks again everyone !
YIPPEE ! I finally found an instructional video ! And it looks simple enough to do. No coolant issues in his block but still, this should get me part way through. I must have been dancing all around this video but you have to type in exactly the right words. I had searched "the budget build" a few times but missed this one video. - Removing the heads on the 302 fox body budget build by Demonfox 5.0. Precisely what I needed. Thank you again to all who assisted.
Regarding draining the block. With the intake off, the block will still have coolant in it. Enough that the level of coolant is above the bottom of the heads ... if you don't lower the coolant level below the lowest part of the head, when you remove each head, coolant will spill and enter the engine, mandating an oil change. I have had problems with rusted/seized block drain plugs in the past so, the last time I removed heads I used a coolant testing tool to lower the level of coolant in the engine. If need be, you can add a longer hose. Suck coolant out of the engine and into this tool then spritz the coolant into a pail. Repeat until you believe you have removed enough to prevent a mess when the heads are removed. Now, that being said, you need to lower the coolant level on both sides of the block, doing one side does not lower the level in the engine, it only lowers the level on one side at a time. I removed the water pump on my SBC and that allowed me access to both sides of the blocks water jacket. Hopefully on your Ford there will be some access ... possibly through each head itself.
One thing I have learned over the years is to bag each set of nuts and or bolts is to put each type into a ziplock bag with a note as to what they are and where they came from. this works for other small parts keeps them from disappearing>
The recommendations on using cardboard are smart.... that's what beer boxes are for . Laying stuff out on a table is good, but if your shop is like mine then it will get stuff stacked on top of it, or moved to make space (my jobs seem to take longer than planned, and I find I need to use the benchspace). Cardboard is a little more forgiving. Punch the holes into the beer box to receive the bolts, pushrods etc with a Phillips screwdriver - that's what Phillips are made for . If you're going to stuff rags into holes to keep crap out (a good idea), either leave a long rag tail hanging out (so it is obvious the rag is there), or better still list the rags in Sharpie on your beer box, and tick them off when you remove them. I left a rag in an I6 manifold a month ago, and only worked it out when the number of rags on the bench was not the same as what I put into the motor. Cost me an hour of removing stuff to get at it again. Label your plug wires with a Sharpie and masking tape as you remove them. Makes it easier to get them back on the right plug. Draw a diagram of what you think #1, #2 etc are. There is a theoretical or factory #1 plug, but as long as you are consistent on what wire came off what plug, you can label them what you want. Same on the rockers/parts that are embedded in the beer box... label as per your engine sketch. Take the dizzy cap off, and take a photo of how the rotor points. When you refit the dizzy, that's how the rotor needs to point again. Very easy to be "off by one tooth", and a photo helps to show you better. Don't bother with the coolant drain plugs. As others have pointed out, they are most often more drama than benefit. Aussie cars are never drained to lay them up for winter (rarely gets cold enough here), so those plugs are often seized. The coolant system does not need to be "dry", just drained down via the radiator hoses. If you spill a little coolant into the bores, it is not the end of the world . Mop it up and WD40 the bore. There is risk that you get some water in the oil, but it is pretty smart practice to change the oil once you are done anyway - oil is cheap, and all the stuffing around with the head can make all kinds of crud drop off into the oil (coke, rust debris, bits of gasket etc). You will be scraping off/cleaning the old head gasket anyway, so expect some bore cleaning no matter how hard you try. Smart to pull the thermostat and flush the coolant system too once the heads are back on - 30 minute job, low cost, and gets all the same bits of dropped crud out of the water side. Cheers, Harv
Alright, a coolant testing tool and ziplock bag all the parts small enough to do so. These are great tips. Thank you guys. I don't drink so I don't have an empty beer box but I get the idea and I like it. List rags used on the box. Cool. Maybe I can help you Harv. One of the tips I have learned, instead of taping and marking each plug wire with a Sharpie, save 8 bread bag clips and number them & keep them in an empty pill bottle in the shop. Then whenever marking plug wires is necessary, just clip on the bread bag tags. Quick & easy. "If you spill a little coolant into the bores, it is not the end of the world ." WOW ! You are the first person to put the task into perspective. Because some tasks can be the end of the world, especially to a novice. Now I have a much better idea of what I'm dealing with. And like you say, I am changing the oil (and coolant ?) afterwards anyway. I am curious about using WD40 though. WD40 isn't a lubricant. It is a cleanser. I did a little research on it. Wouldn't a few drops of 3 in 1 oil be better on the bore ? Although I guess this is about cleaning. OK, yes I should swap out the coolant too. Thank you Harv (and everyone.) So nice to do this myself (with the help found here of course). I bought this rolling chassis so I could learn so I don't want to have someone do it for me. I just need guidance. I have a friend who is a mechanic who keeps telling me he could have the whole thing done in an hour and a half (at an hourly mechanic rate) but I wouldn't learn half as much if he does it. I need to bruise some knuckles so I'll remember how they got bruised. Thank you everyone very much !
I haven't read every post on this thread but I would suggest that you do all the all the diagnostics you can before you remove the heads. The reason I mention this is ... what if it isn't a burned valve? What if you have a piston or ring or cylinder bore issue? Are you prepared to delve even deeper into the engine? Summer is just around the corner, if this engine needs a complete rebuild, are you up for it? Are you financially prepared for it? Are you willing to lose a bunch of driving time if the block is at the machine shop for months? It could be a burnt valve or possibly a head gasket problem but ... what if it isn't? I haven't done this but I have heard of people welding an air line fitting to a gutted spark plug then pressurizing a cylinder (be careful here, I am sure a very small amount of pressure would be required to do this test). With air being fed into the cylinder through the new air/spark plug fitting, if you have an intake valve either burnt or not sealing, air will escape through the intake manifold (or intake port of that cylinder if the intake is already off). If the exhaust valve is burnt, air will escape through the exhaust port of that cylinder. You will/should be able to hear and feel the air escaping. If air is blowing through a hole in the piston or past the rings, you will get air out of the breathers on the valve covers/your engine vent system (I am unfamiliar with the venting on a 1966 289). Just be aware, a relatively simple 'head/valve repair" could very easily balloon into quite a bit of money and a lot of lost driving time. That being said, installing/replacing a single valve (after lapping it in) might work just fine (and be cheap) but once that head is in a shop, they might sell you on a complete valve job (which it may need), hardened exhaust seats, etc. Based on the pic of your car, I am guessing it realistically won't be seeing a lot of miles this driving season ... is it really running that bad?
Actually the car runs fine but I know there is a problem with that cylinder and I want everything to be correct. If I have to sacrifice a summer, that's ok. It doesn't look like we have much of a summer ahead anyway for shows and swap meets. I'd miss it of course but I want to to everything right on my ride. If it needs repair, it gets it. If it takes time, I wait. If it takes money, I save until I have enough. Like this site and people like yourself, I am getting a lot of wisdom from a lot of kind people so I know eventually it will work out. I'll do what I can myself which is why I bought it (as a rolling chassis) and if it looks like it's beyond me, it goes to a shop. I'm pleased with what I've learned so far and enjoying meeting so many nice people in this hobby. - just like you !
As previously stated, Ford went to the rail rocker design in mid 66. Ford engineers realized quickly that there was excessive wear on the exhaust valve stems and incorporated hardened "cups" on the exhaust valve stems shortly afterwards. The excessive wear had resulted in a high rate of burnt valves and often the rocker rail hitting the spring retainer causing a dropped valve. The last SBF of that era I pulled down had 6 out of 8 exhaust valves burnt, and the seats and guides so damaged I scrapped the heads. Cheaper to replace than installing new seats and guides. That is good advice of being prepared of a "simple valve job" could balloon into a full rebuild.
One more thing that is a great time and frustration saver for newbies, sweep the floor first, drain everything you can, then clean the floor and have a sheet of cardboard under your work area. This allows you to slide under with a bit more padding than a bare floor, when you drop a bolt or tool you can slide the cardboard out and grab it rather than climb under, and dropped stuff tends not to travel as far and get lost. This is especially useful if you are working on dirt, gravel or something besides a nice flat smooth concrete floor.
Did the brakes on a Buick recently, Took 2 weeks to get all the parts. Glad I took pics or I would still be trying to scratching my head.
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