header tube glow

just a strange question i recently bought a old anglia drag car it has a 455 olds motor it hasnt ran in a long time the guy i bought it from said it has a blowed head gasket so i check it it has a head gasket blown its pumping compression into the cooling system has two cylenders down next to each other these two cylenders are around 90 psi the rest check at 135 to 145 psi ok hers the question im gonna do a head gaske change i was running some flush threw the cooling system tonight to try and get some rust out before i tear it down it has a missfire pop threw the header on the side the gasket is blown then i noticed one header tube glowing red motor may have run 5 to 10 mins idling about 1500 rpm the tube is one of the cylenders thats weak i was gonna shut it down before i did it quit poping and the header started cooling down . do you think i might have a valve proublm i was hoping to stick a gasket on it and go but now im worried i might have some other proublms could a valve not been seating good? or could it be the compression leak be causing it i thought the timming might be low but its only one tube any ideas aloso temp was only around 190

 

Plug wires on right (firing order correct)? Otherwise yeah, could be a valve, or a bunch of other rarer things

 

Sounds like a valve might have had something under it, then it worked itself out. Your going to pull the head anyway to change the gasket, Take a look at the valves while its off. If you see any problems, pull the other side off and fix them both. --TV

 

Possible vacuum leak on that cylinder. That will make it run exceptionally hot.

Frank

 

Your pulling the heads anyway right? Lippy

 

yea im gonna pull one side might pull the other if i dont like what i see im thinking the seat might have rust that keep the valve from closing it kinda freaked me out when it done it i want to get the car going asap but it just depends on funds im gonna take some stuff to the show at 411 drag strip so if anyone needs some parts look me up i need the mony to fix silly

 

Glowing headers is usually way too much timing, way to little timing or a very lean air/fuel mixture.

Eyeball the color of your valves when you have the heads off, that might tell you alot about the air/fuel. If they are very white/grey lookin, you have a lean condition most likely caused by a vac*** leak.

My bet is after you fix the head gasket and set the timing about 15 initial and 36 total, your problem will go away. My money is on waaaay too much total timing, not air/fuel.

Good luck, -Abone.

 

Pull both heads for sure. The only costs is one more head gasket. If it hasn't run in a long time and one valve is rusted, bent, stuck, etc,,,,then more will also be the same.

 

I would put head gaskets on both sides since you know nothing of what it orginaly had anyhow.