That head bolt at #4; you know the one.
#1
That head bolt at #4; you know the one.
Folks,
I'm an old car nut, probably like a lot of folks on this forum, and since this is my first post perhaps an introduction is in order.
I work in Food Service, my pet projects are a '48 Plymouth and '67 VW Bug, and my Lady Wife and I live 45 miles North of Denver. I also write social satire.
My Landlord is a great guy with no mechanical ability, so when his '76 Ranchero started to take a dump on itself he asked me to diagnose the problem. The problem was a bent exhaust valve in #2 with so much ground steel in-and-outside the engine that replacing the head was not an option.
My question: How can I torque the head bolt at the rear bottom next to the heater box without removing the box? I can get a crowfoot wrench on it but not the torque wrench. I could use a universal driver but the torque would be off, perhaps a lot.
So, rather than re-inventing the wheel, I turn to some folks who've probably been in the same barrel. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Randy
I'm an old car nut, probably like a lot of folks on this forum, and since this is my first post perhaps an introduction is in order.
I work in Food Service, my pet projects are a '48 Plymouth and '67 VW Bug, and my Lady Wife and I live 45 miles North of Denver. I also write social satire.
My Landlord is a great guy with no mechanical ability, so when his '76 Ranchero started to take a dump on itself he asked me to diagnose the problem. The problem was a bent exhaust valve in #2 with so much ground steel in-and-outside the engine that replacing the head was not an option.
My question: How can I torque the head bolt at the rear bottom next to the heater box without removing the box? I can get a crowfoot wrench on it but not the torque wrench. I could use a universal driver but the torque would be off, perhaps a lot.
So, rather than re-inventing the wheel, I turn to some folks who've probably been in the same barrel. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Randy
#3
#4
Gents,
My time to wrench on that '76 400M engine has been limited to just a few hours on only one day each week, but I honestly thought I'd get it finished today. I got a crowfoot wrench for the head bolt but it requires a universal joint and although I was able to put 60# of torque on it, any pressure more than that would cause the universal to twist vertically, which makes the cf to ride up the flats and slip off.
I thought seriously about cutting a hole in the heater box to make room for the head of the torque wrench, but although I think that portion of the box is simply an air duct I'm afraid of cutting into something I shouldn't.
Fords are made too well to require pulling the engine to get to one stinking head bolt, so there must be some way short of that to wrench it properly.
A local dealership offerred to do it for me for an exorbitant fee if I had the Ranchero towed in, but they wouldn't tell me how they'd get the job done.
Since the vehicle is driven only about 1000 miles per year I toyed with the idea of leaving the torque on that one bolt light, but that's inviting a blown head gasket and a warped head. Besides, I don't like to do Mickey Mouse jobs, not to mention that the owner is a friend of mine.
So, what's the general consensus; could I get away with cutting the box or is there a realistic approach to this that hasn't occurred to me?
Thanks in advance,
-Randy
My time to wrench on that '76 400M engine has been limited to just a few hours on only one day each week, but I honestly thought I'd get it finished today. I got a crowfoot wrench for the head bolt but it requires a universal joint and although I was able to put 60# of torque on it, any pressure more than that would cause the universal to twist vertically, which makes the cf to ride up the flats and slip off.
I thought seriously about cutting a hole in the heater box to make room for the head of the torque wrench, but although I think that portion of the box is simply an air duct I'm afraid of cutting into something I shouldn't.
Fords are made too well to require pulling the engine to get to one stinking head bolt, so there must be some way short of that to wrench it properly.
A local dealership offerred to do it for me for an exorbitant fee if I had the Ranchero towed in, but they wouldn't tell me how they'd get the job done.
Since the vehicle is driven only about 1000 miles per year I toyed with the idea of leaving the torque on that one bolt light, but that's inviting a blown head gasket and a warped head. Besides, I don't like to do Mickey Mouse jobs, not to mention that the owner is a friend of mine.
So, what's the general consensus; could I get away with cutting the box or is there a realistic approach to this that hasn't occurred to me?
Thanks in advance,
-Randy
#5
Here's How It's Done!
Gents,
If I were to do it again I'd make the cut an inch taller to facillitate insertion of the torque wrench, but after the re-torquing I'll seal the plug back in with silicone and never need to look back.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...d/DCP_0807.jpg
Next time somebody asks, it's a walk-in-the-park.
-Randy
If I were to do it again I'd make the cut an inch taller to facillitate insertion of the torque wrench, but after the re-torquing I'll seal the plug back in with silicone and never need to look back.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...d/DCP_0807.jpg
Next time somebody asks, it's a walk-in-the-park.
-Randy
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