Removing cylinder head for rebuild- what to look for?

After posting about a timing issue and receiving some info about using a vacuum gauge, I purchased one and it appears I have eiher a loose guide, burnt valve or possibly weak springs (maybe all). The head needs to come off and I am looking for pointers regarding the execution and problem areas to look out for. The guy that is going to do the head immediately asked how many broekn exhasut studs there were so that appears to be a common issue. Can anybody lend and experience with this procedure? Things to do and not do when removing and reinstalling? Thanks

id get the head to teh rebuilder- he knows whats needed & to look for -also have it crack checked & surface checked! As for the block when head is odd- look down every cylinder -rotating crank to lower each piston to bottom each time - look for scores, taper, ridges @ upper surfaces, and feel with a fingernail or like a single edge razor blade for cracks-many cant be sen by eye ? Just things to check & look for when the head is off ! also ask the head rebuilder whats the best valve seals he can use also - perfect circle seals usually are best - never standard issue valve seals. Dont knurl any guides also -have them replaced !Knurling will wear quickly & then guides will start allowing oil into piston areas -usually in a few thousands of miles . Some cheapo- rebuilders will knrul the guides- cuts their costs -yet costs us as customers down the road!!

thank you for the reply. Is getting the head off and on an relativelt straightforward process? It looks like i just need to unbolt teh thermostat up front, the exhaust manifold on the side, teh carb from the top and just lift it off after removing the 10 bolts correct? Arent there bolts i need to reseal or something liek that as they go through teh block into the water/antifreeze? What do i use for that sealing job?

yes drain all water 1st!! simple process - also =remember if it doesnt come off readily -re look for some head bolts between the rockers or possibly covered by sludge also ?

Twin has it covered, take it to a shop that can rebuild/check it properly.

Removing is straight forward, those head bolts are big and your not gonna miss any. As far as broken exhaust bolts, I had to remove my head because of that... I had 4 twisted off, two of them up inside the exhaust manifold, so I had to pull the head with the exhaust manifold still attatched!..Had to wiggle, wd, pry, cuss and whatever to get that exhaust manifold off.. When you go to re install, no sealer needed on those bolts..just torque them down to the proper spec and sequence

Just to make sure were not getting the cart in front of the horse, did you do a compression test? If a rough idle that can't be tuned out with carb/timing adjustments, a compression test will tell the tale if a burnt valve, bad rings etc...and yes low compression on one cylinder will make it idle lousy.

Drew
If you need some hands on NJ help let me know...
Surfcasimier@yahoo.com
Casimier

In the interest of finally being able to contribute instead of just take info, I am updating this thread. I have posted on the site various times with timing issues and idle issues and other running issues. The van came to me with 1800 original miles on the clock (per the owner). I let the miles on the clock dictate how i approached the issues and that was the first problem. The request here about removing the head stemmed from a few sources thinking i needed to replace the springs and/or guides as the van sat for many years with very little use. The thought was the valves that were open while parked would have weaker springs while the rest werent. Here is the important part that shoudl be filed under 'rough idle'. I took the valve cover off while the engine was running just to look at the springs to see if anything stuck out as broken and also see where the head bolts are. I noticed oil shooting/gushing out from the pushrod on #1 inlet. All others werent doing this. After the request here for head info not lining up with my head on my van and seeing i had adjustable rockers on a 67, it led me to belive the engine wasnt a 67 (i thinks its a 65 now). I researched valve adjustment and had a go. #1I and #6E were so tight i couldnt get a feeler guage through the gap while the engine was running. The adjuters were extrememly tight too and i had to back them off using a long handle socket for levergae purposes and only a bit at a time so they wouldnt snap. #4 I and E were pretty tight to. All others were good. After adjusting the valves at .018 across all, the van ran as smooth as silk. I cannot believe it idles so quiet now and the engine doesnt shake or rock or anything. The compression test revealed from 6 through 1 to be 150,155,150,150,150,146. The vacuum guage revealed a valve issue. After the valve adjustemnt, a retiming of the dist was in order to take soem of the advance out of it and get it to 10btdc (auomatic trans) and the vacum guage was used to get the perfect idle with teh mixture screw. Thanks to everyones responses here and offers for help. I hope i didnt just jink myself now...

Glad you got it sorted out.
Yes, we often jump into the major fix without thinking about the era these were made. They REQUIRE routine maintenance, but often have not had it done over the years. I always suggest going through the service procedures for the entire vehicle, then lubing all moving components and cleaning all electrical connections. It's amazing what a little TLC will do to make things work better!

Hey Drew
Glad you got the van runnin good.
I would like to hear it purr at the Gathering of Earlys in Jackson,NJ on July 27th.
Not many of us get to see an 1800 mile Econoline
Jim

Thats awesome that you got it sorted out, like a lot of times it just takes some head scratching a little bit of help from your friends