head removal

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May 9, 2011 | 01:28 PM

rustywheel68

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head removal

'65 F100. i know nothing about the motor's history, other than that the block is a '72.

i've got the intake & exhaust manifolds off, because i'm switching to EFI manifolds, and getting rid of the load-o-matic carb/distributor.

now i'm staring at the bare head, and realizing that if i was ever going to pull it, now is the time.

my question is- what do you recommend? i can see that the backsides of the valves are completely gunked up.

May 9, 2011 | 02:13 PM

AbandonedBronco

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From: Boise, Idaho

Hi Rusty,
What are you asking recommendations for? Recommendations on how to remove it? What to do with it when it's off?

May 9, 2011 | 02:39 PM

rustywheel68

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i guess i'm looking for recommendations as to what sorts of things i should be looking for/checking/having done by a machine shop, once i get it off.

the engine actually runs pretty well, but i have no idea how many miles are on it.

May 10, 2011 | 10:21 AM

rustywheel68

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let me rephrase-

if you bought a running truck, but didn't know the history of the engine...and then pulled the intake/exhaust off, and could see that the backsides of the valves are all gummed up:

1. would you go ahead and pull the head?
2. if you did pull the head, what would you do at that point? (milling/new guides, etc)

thanks-

May 10, 2011 | 10:32 AM

F-250 restorer

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From: Near Los Angeles

If it is not burning oil, and has good power, I think I would leave it and drive it. If the engine has a lot of miles, and the rings are not the best, doing a v.job could cause problems.

If it is burning oil, with poor compression, you could either pull the engine and go through it, or drive it until it drops.

May 10, 2011 | 10:40 AM

AbandonedBronco

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From: Boise, Idaho

Have you done a compression test on the engine? If your compression's good, it's possible things are just dirty.

But, if you do pull the head, your best bet is to take it to a competent shop that works on heads and have them go over it. They have the specialty tools to measure everything to be sure its all in spec and can give you a much more detailed list of what needs to be worked on.

Although, like F-250 said, if you put a freshly rebuilt head onto a tired engine, the extra compression can cause aging rings to go out.