P79 Head Stuck to Block, Please Help!

[Zed Head]

18 hours ago, Mark Maras said:

 That's quite a pile of rust. Common knowledge in the shipyard repair division was that the rust expansion ratio was 1 to 7. An inch of steel will produce seven inches of rust before it's consumed.

Wow.  Our old Z's should be huge. 

[Mark Maras]

3 hours ago, Zed Head said:

Wow.  Our old Z's should be huge. 

 GodZilla?

[siteunseen]

Let's get the Kardassions to wear rust jewelry then we'd all be sitting on top (or inside) a gold mine. 8^)

[Mark Maras]

39 minutes ago, siteunseen said:

Let's get the Kardassions to wear rust jewelry then we'd all be sitting on top (or inside) a gold mine. 8^)

 Might be easier than you think. "Patina" is very desirable to some people, just not Z owners.

[siteunseen]

56 minutes ago, Mark Maras said:

 Might be easier than you think. "Patina" is very desirable to some people, just not Z owners.

I used to hit up a gal named Patina late at night. She was rough looking but still good and ran solid.

[NMcKe97]

I ended up getting liquid wrench, nylon rope, and a small piece of wood to use with the crow bar. This combined with all my tools and utensils listed before hand I set to work with my friend for the weekend.

I sprayed all the head bolt holes and all around the engine a number of times with liquid wrench. After sitting for a brief period I tried the crowbar technique gwri8 recommended. I was unable to provide adequate leverage and it would slip off the block so I moved to the next idea. I started jacking the 2x4 into the drivers side of the head, a little to the right of siteunseen's recommendation due to the power steering, unfortunately to no avail. I also accidently bumped and slightly jacked up part of my power steering and it began to leak. It stopped once I let off the jack but do you think its damaged to point I need to replace it?

From that point my friend recommended we try from the other side right where the oil filter goes. After removing the oil filter I set up the jack and 2x4. The 2x4 was much more perpendicular to the ground and head which made for a better jack point. From there we slowly lifted the jack, making sure to check it's all lined up and not hitting anything important, and then POP! It came mostly free so I excitedly shoved a bunch of wedges in to keep the gap and started lifting it more. It finally came off and is out of my way, for now.

Now I need to figure out how to get the broken stud out. I tried vice grips and smacking it to loosen it but that didn't do much. Im thinking I will rent some sort of welder depending on the price and from there just weld a nut on and break it off. Would there be an easier alternative any of you would recommend?

From here it's getting the head to a machine shop and tearing the lower end apart. I plan on getting my p79 head surfaced, bead blasted, a valve job, and a 5 way valve job on the intakes. I might add the valves from the older l28s and the associated mods. What are your guys thoughts and advice on this? What would you recommend I get done, anything I should upgrade or replace while I'm in here? Any recommendations for the gasket set I should use on the rebuild? 

Right now I have a fel-pro set, which I've read is alright, but I want to make sure to use all quality products on this build. What brands do you guys like using and recommend? I'd prefer to pay more and get quality than save money and cheap out.

Thanks again everyone for all your help! I'll upload photos tommorw for all your viewing pleasure. You guys all helped me learn a lot and helped so much in getting my head off! I couldn't have done it without you guys, thanks a lot! - Noah M

[siteunseen]

I like the Fel-Pro complete rebuild gasket set.  You'll have some left over as it covers all the models.  Don't skimp on the timing kit, get a good one not the cheapest one on e-bay.  I bought a lot of my stuff from amazon.com and Advanced Auto parts with coupon codes off retailmenot.com and saved a bunch of money. I would also reccomend buying and using these things, there's a lot more but I just woke up and still fuzzy.

    

[gwri8]

2 hours ago, NMcKe97 said:

and then POP! It came mostly free so I excitedly shoved a bunch of wedges in to keep the gap and started lifting it more. It finally came off and is out of my way, for now.

Now I need to figure out how to get the broken stud out. I tried vice grips and smacking it to loosen it but that didn't do much. Im thinking I will rent some sort of welder depending on the price and from there just weld a nut on and break it off. Would there be an easier alternative any of you would recommend?

 

congrats!   Stage 1 in Z initiation complete! 

Welcome to stage 2:  Head bolt snappage.   My personal list of implements include vise grips, PB Blaster (lots), propane torch, hammer and numerous prayers.

Believe it or not, these are lifelong skills you are developing. 

Edited July 30, 2017 by gwri8

[sweatybetty]

how much of the bolt is sticking out of the head? this is something to go slow and careful with. if you break the bolt off at the block..............

[gwri8]

6 hours ago, NMcKe97 said:

 

Now I need to figure out how to get the broken stud out. I tried vice grips and smacking it to loosen it but that didn't do much. Im thinking I will rent some sort of welder depending on the price and from there just weld a nut on and break it off. Would there be an easier alternative any of you would recommend?

From here it's getting the head to a machine shop and tearing the lower end apart. I plan on getting my p79 head surfaced, bead blasted, a valve job, and a 5 way valve job on the intakes. I might add the valves from the older l28s and the associated mods. What are your guys thoughts and advice on this? What would you recommend I get done, anything I should upgrade or replace while I'm in here? Any recommendations for the gasket set I should use on the rebuild? 

 

 

 

Wait, What?  Are you doing a complete engine rebuild now?  It would have been easier to remove the block with the head still attached IMO.

Sweatybetty is absolutely right.  The LAST thing you want to do is break off a stud in the block.  Soak it in PB Blaster (or equivalent) for a few days, then try it with vise grips clamped on and then small taps on the vise grips. Patience is your best approach.  Too much hard "smacking" with a hammer will weaken the bolt and snap it again.  That will put you into drilling world.......nobody likes that place.

[Zed Head]

10 hours ago, NMcKe97 said:

From here it's getting the head to a machine shop and tearing the lower end apart. I plan on getting my p79 head surfaced, bead blasted, a valve job, and a 5 way valve job on the intakes. I might add the valves from the older l28s and the associated mods. What are your guys thoughts and advice on this? What would you recommend I get done, anything I should upgrade or replace while I'm in here? Any recommendations for the gasket set I should use on the rebuild? 

The bottom ends on these engines are pretty durable.  Might not be worth the time and money tearing it apart.

Your list is kind of the typical small effect things that people do.  You might not even notice a benefit over stock.

If your dad wants you to get the car moving again,  and you want to drive it. a simple head refurbishing might make more sense, then buy a separate engine to build.  The EFI system kind of limits how much benefit you can get, without making certain things worse, like driveability and emissions.

You never gave much history on the car and why you even wanted to pull the head.

[Reptoid Overlords]

Watch for power steering fluid leaks after the car has been driven and turned off. I made a similar mistake before I resorted to the engine hoist method. It started dripping about 5-8 drops of power steering fluid after shutoff.