rusty heads will they ever seal?
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Freshman User
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 35
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From: tacoma wa
rusty heads will they ever seal?
earlier this month i changed the gasket on my 99 superduty and all went pretty well....
so i got a little courage to fix the nasty exhaust leak on my 88 superduty 460...
broke four studs and the egr pipe in the process,... spent three days welding washers, drilling and tapping stud bolts and still have one left
my brother came over to help me today and said the head surface looks a little pitted with rust so i should just bite the bullet and remove the head and get it resurfaced or there is a good chance of it leaking again
any advice?? its not pitted bad but there is rust forming on the surface...it kills me to remove it now after all the cramped suffering ive already went through under the fender, but i will if thats what it takes to give it a good fix..
so i got a little courage to fix the nasty exhaust leak on my 88 superduty 460...
broke four studs and the egr pipe in the process,... spent three days welding washers, drilling and tapping stud bolts and still have one left
my brother came over to help me today and said the head surface looks a little pitted with rust so i should just bite the bullet and remove the head and get it resurfaced or there is a good chance of it leaking again
any advice?? its not pitted bad but there is rust forming on the surface...it kills me to remove it now after all the cramped suffering ive already went through under the fender, but i will if thats what it takes to give it a good fix..
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,323
Likes: 2
From: Montana Territory
If its pitted it will leak and you're just wasting your time now, get it resurfaced. I had the same problem on a 400, I didn't think it was pitted that bad. Now I know. Every motor I build, I have both intake and exhaust sides planed, I've never had an exhaust or intake leak since.
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Freshman User
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 35
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From: tacoma wa
should i just do the other head as well while im buying a new gasket set and have it all apart? its not leaking at the moment,...this is a recently rebuilt motor (about 20k ago) the manifold never leaked until the rebuild
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,323
Likes: 2
From: Montana Territory
Ouch... its been a few years since I put rebuilt heads on... I've been running all aluminums on the last three motors I've built... I seem to remember rebuilds only being about $125 each...
Good luck...
Good luck...
Guest
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 7,988
Likes: 55
From: north west new jersey
matt your making me feel real old now, i seem to remember grabing them rebuilt for less then $75 a pair back about 1963 brand new for about $125.00. each with valves. seems i rebuilt my flathead linclon for about $350 complete.
darn have times and costs changed. man i hate being 60 now and retired theres no grease in my skin any more. a gear head with clean hands?
darn have times and costs changed. man i hate being 60 now and retired theres no grease in my skin any more. a gear head with clean hands?
Elder User
Joined: Oct 2004
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A freind of mine went ahead and put rebuit heads on his truck and never check the sparkplug treads. They had healycoils and blew 2 plugs out while driving. I stay away from anything like that. They were warrentyed but he did the work himself and had to do it all over again, plus the gaskets. Just my $.02 thought.
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Guest
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 7,988
Likes: 55
From: north west new jersey
ouch. texcan i sue would have looked for timeserts in the plug holes, spring threads while ok for some uses "cast iron" they sure are not nor ever have been good for spark plugs. as i said above. i'm a old fart but sure agree with todays tech on thread repairs and stiching a cracked block. todays tech makes the job so much easier to do and last forever fixes when done correctly.
my now rarely used tool boxes still have time sert and full torque thread repair kits for both metals, they both have saved me bundles of cash.
my now rarely used tool boxes still have time sert and full torque thread repair kits for both metals, they both have saved me bundles of cash.
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Thread Starter
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Freshman User
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 35
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From: tacoma wa
the shop i used has a pretty good rep. i hope nothing like what texcan says happens..i went all out for a long term fix..ford charged me 165.00 for exhaust manifold studs..
an exhaust leak has turned out to be a 1000 dollar project...i definitely have a little more character now though...haha
an exhaust leak has turned out to be a 1000 dollar project...i definitely have a little more character now though...haha
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,323
Likes: 2
From: Montana Territory
Charlie--- I won't disagree that you are much older than I. 
My mom was 12 in 1963.
Character can be pretty pricey, not just in dollars though... I was just BSing with a buddy that got his character from a roadside bomb in Iraq.
They make helicoils specifically for spark plug threads, that do work. I've used them on 5 horse Briggs that with a little work put out 20 horses.
My mom was 12 in 1963. Character can be pretty pricey, not just in dollars though... I was just BSing with a buddy that got his character from a roadside bomb in Iraq.
They make helicoils specifically for spark plug threads, that do work. I've used them on 5 horse Briggs that with a little work put out 20 horses.
Guest
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 7,988
Likes: 55
From: north west new jersey
do you mean a briggs 5hp on a jr-dragster running pure gain like i have for my grandson?.
plug wise i was taught very early on the use a solid insert for plugs and shown how a heli coil can fail there, by a very much older and gental german tech and have never looked back, yes my tool boxes contain all 3 companies types of thread repair . but i still have this personal love of a solid insert of the proper type/lengh for the job, and have saved many a old big 3 brand/ classic motor back to full running shape.
stitch a block or a head no problem, repair a rotted out water hole in a block no problem. heli coil, timesert and fulltorque all 3 make a great product, just when it comes to a spark plug .well i'm to old to change my ways now.
plug wise i was taught very early on the use a solid insert for plugs and shown how a heli coil can fail there, by a very much older and gental german tech and have never looked back, yes my tool boxes contain all 3 companies types of thread repair . but i still have this personal love of a solid insert of the proper type/lengh for the job, and have saved many a old big 3 brand/ classic motor back to full running shape.
stitch a block or a head no problem, repair a rotted out water hole in a block no problem. heli coil, timesert and fulltorque all 3 make a great product, just when it comes to a spark plug .well i'm to old to change my ways now.
Guest
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 7,988
Likes: 55
From: north west new jersey
theres a 5hp jegs hot motor in my garage right now for my grand sons jr. dragster, it's got a time sert in the head, but man can that little thing scream on grain and the sound.it tant no normal B&S motor.
we can fix them better today then the past and most of the companies have a good product .but it remains to how much some one is willing to pay for a good solid repair. i have seen many types of spark plug repair kits in my shop days and seen many also fail badly.
we can fix them better today then the past and most of the companies have a good product .but it remains to how much some one is willing to pay for a good solid repair. i have seen many types of spark plug repair kits in my shop days and seen many also fail badly.