i'm now putting my 390 back together (my first) and i'm not sure about the bolts on each end of each head on upper side(long bolts)...whether they should be coated with some kind of sealer/rtv. each long bolt on each end shares a passage with the oil drain from the head. any of them share a water jacket?
also, i'm changing from a 3spd trans to an auto....can i keep my flywheel??? and what else should i get along with the auto trans???
thanx, rog

 

There's no need to use any sealer on the head bolts. The tensin of the bolt crushes the gasket around the hole, sealing it off so nothing gets through the head gasket, and the flat on the underside of the head seals the top, so nothing leaks out. Any little bit that leaks past the threads will be held there with no other place to go.

My standard head gasket change includes using Felpro gaskets, and copper spray gasket (on the gasket only), then torqueing 5 lb's over max using a GOOD torque wrench. I've never lost a head gasket doing it this way, and I've never had to go back and re-tourque.

If your changing from a manual to an auto, you will need to change the flywheel (there not compatible), and save the bolts for the automatic flywheel if your getting it from a wrecking yard ( I can't remember if the bolts are interchangeable). And you will need to pull the pilot bushing out of the crankshaft. Filling the pilot bushing with a heavy grease (pack it full), and placing a solid rod (wood or fairly soft metal is fine) inside the bushing then tapping the rod into the crank with a hammer will pop the pilot bushing out. There should be a fairly tight fit between the rod and the bushing, or the grease will come out around the rod and not do it's job.

Good luck, hope this helped

 

Ditto on the NO sealer needed on head bolts. All these older motors do not need any. There are other newer motors today that use sealer because the bolts go into waterjackets, but not the FE.


As for the change over to automatic. Gather up all the misc linkage and clips to hook it up and make it work, that is if you are stripping a single truck(or if all parts are there). If you plan on using column shifter, you need another column also. If using floor shift then disregard. The crossmember should be the same. You will MAYBE need another driveshaft also. When I switched my 69 to stick the driveshaft yoke was different. The truckC6 has a bolt on flange, not a slip yoke. It depends on which tranny you use.

Larry

 

thanx a bunch fellas....this makes a world of difference! i'm bout ready to head to the junkyard sat. morning to see what i can find. now i can take anything from a 352,360,390,460? they put 360s in some of the 73,74,75 models right? i've already got the column out of a 69 for the shifter. never seen the bolton yoke...i hope i dont have to change shafts too. anyway, thanx again
roger

 

I don't know alot about the interchangeability of the heads, others here may. I'd stick with 390 to be safe tho

Good luck with the rebuild, and let us know how it turns out