Vanner in Los Angeles needs help

Better safe than sorry...could end up being a LOT more costly if the gasket blows again and causes more damage...JMTC

Actually Don - I am saying the exact opposite.
When I try to shine a light under the ruler at any angle across any surface of the head, NO LIGHT GOES UNDER IT. If I try to put a .003 under it, it jams and bends the feeler gauge - because it can not get under the blade.

The pictures above show the blade across the 5 and 6 pistons - the first picture is without anything but the blade. No light shining under it. The second picture shows what it looks like if I purposefully set the blade on the .003 feeeler gauge sitting on the space between those same pistons. Light obviously shines under it.

I am more worried right now about cleaning the block deck. It has hard core black crap on it. Residue of the other head gasket? But nothing really to scrape off. More like going after it by hand with the emory cloth to put a shine back, but do not want metal particles floating down into the pistons! lol

I am using a rag and spraying carb cleaner on the rag and then rubbing the hell out of it and it takes forever. Any suggestions on that end?

Still gonna call a shop once we find one and see about having the head checked.

When cleaning up a block I put grease around the top of each piston, filling the gap all the way around. Then I use a single edge razor blade to scrape the old gasket material off, being careful not to scratch anything. Then I use a vacuum to clean up the block. Finally I rotate the crank to move each piston away from the grease, and remove it with a rag. Done right you wont get anything in the bores past the grease.

,,,,and how straight is that straight edge you are using,,,,,after 2 head gaskets blowing,,,,,,you really need a professional opinion,,,,,this is probably the best time you will ever have to have that head checked,,,,,,,,and besides,,,,,ITS THE RIGHT THING TO DO,,,,,,,,,,

Thanks AZ... there is no actual gasket material there - it is like a burned black, like burnt oil maybe - and even that is more like a permanent stain in the metal.

Don - the last time I had a head gasket blow was 9 years ago - and I do not remember where it was on the block at that time...

Edited to add: I forgot to say - There is no bolt in the end of my block to turn it with...

pulley should turn pretty easy by hand with the head off for you to file a notch in it or move those pistons,,,,,,,,and besides, you dont want to be spending $1600 in Chowchilla to get your van fixed,,,,,,

For those of you following the saga of the $1600+ head repair and replacement, I just came from a shop that specializes in doing them - and they are very familiar with mine. According to the guy there, my head is in almost perfect shape! He said he would not touch it because he could not get it any closer. No valves are burned and no valves are leaking...I was right in my measurements and right in my assessment of what was wrong and what it would take to fix it!

He used their steel straightedge and tried to get a .002 feeler gauge under it and could not anywhere on the head.!!!

Now I get to put it all back together and hope I do that part correctly again! LOL

What are the torque #'s for the head bolts and the rocker bolts and the IE nuts?

Thanks for the help guys...
later,
dan

,,,now its ready to be put back together,,,,,,looks like Head 65 ft lbs,,,,Rocker 30,,,,,,,manifolds 10,,,,,,,

That's awesome Dan. Nothing like piece of mind

Do them in a circular pattern from the center out both ways in 2 steps, first all 50# then all 65#

Thanks for the numbers and support guys!
Yes Seth - for me it was just peace of mind - I already knew it was okay - I've been to this movie before! I am also familiar with the torque sequence - I usually do that in a two part process also. Start part way and then torque to the final on the second go round...

Picked up some copper gasket goop for the IE side of things a few minutes ago.
Getting ready to start putiing it all together in a little while.
Taking care of my sister who just got out of surgery this morning.
Once I am sure she is down and settled I can start dinking around with putting it together. My neighbor across the way has told me over and over to make sure I get him to help put the head and intakes on. As a matter of fact, he told me to call him while he was at work so he could get out early!!! He works at one of the local jails here in town! According to my sister, one of the worst of the worst too! He told me the guys he works with are gear heads and he has been telling them what I am doing and they are all gung ho to see it back on the road and want to help!
LOL - the neighbor also told his wife he wants an old van now too!
hahahahaha - I'm shit disturber without even trying!!!

Well, here's the latest...

I got it to fire up - but it refuses to stay runninig...
I did nothing to the carb except take it off and put it back on...

Any suggestions as to what to look for or???
Can't get it to warm up if I can't get it to keep running!!!

ARRGGGG...

lets start by spraying carb cleaner down the carb to see if that keeps it running,,,,,

I found two pistons with the valves set too tight. So I loosened them a bit and I was able to get it to fire up and it dies now if I let up on the gas at all.
Can't get it to idle.
So I started messing with the timing and it started to run but still not stay running. Lasted a lot longer though. So, I had to move the rotor and that's when I screwed up because I moved it the wrong way and now I have to start all over again from tdc - or as close as I can get to it - using the timing light and getting it to pop and then re-adjust stuff.

I never touched the carb at all when I took it off.
It was running perfectly when I took it off - so that was the least of my worries!
Or so I still think anyway! LOL

I am pretty sure that is a combination of timing and carb adjustments - just have to get it to run and idle so I can fine tune everything again.

I will be busy tomorrow morning and early afternoon with a yard sale my sister is part of this weekend - and I am a part of it because my van is in the garage where half of the yard sale stuff is!

I'll let you know what I find as soon as I find something - or get time to even look!

later,
dan

It's ALIVE!!!

There you go! Perfect work.

Glad to hear you got it going Dan! Congrats...

Thanks gang!!!

This is where it sat for the last two weeks - today was a community yard sale and the van and I were a part of it this morning...


This is what it looks like this evening after I got it running and moved it...


I am going to put it together enough to take it out and see how it handles on the road tomorrow. Anybody in the area I can drive to that knows how to check this thing and tell me how bad it is???
LOL

Well, I took it out for a spin a couple of times and it seems to be running hotter than it used to...

It runs about as well as it did before, just warmer than it did...

Is there anyone in the south LA - Orange - Anaheim areas that can take a look at this thing and tell me what it is doing??

I can drive it wherever, just do not want to be out on the freeway or climbing hills with it right now - and to leave here I have a big long hill to climb to get home...

,,,,,,,,setting the timing with a vacuum gauge instead of those marks you put on the harmonic balancer and getting a sniff test on the radiator to check for a cracked head are things to do if it is running hot,,,,,,,,

Yes, I agree.

I have no way to do either of those things...
Also, I thought with a cracked head, that it would show bubbles in the radiator fluid? It is running warmer than it should, and I am pretty sure it is the timing, just that I have not been able to get it to time right.

Between the carb, the valves and the timing, it's a lot for me to get right...

If I had someplace to take it where someone could do all those things, I would...

Hey, which way do I move the rotor in the distributor to make the timing mark move clockwise towards the timing tab on the damper?

This is what it sounds like this morning...
https://youtu.be/gUNbQ0MAqAc - YouTube

Going to be checkcing the valve lash again in a little while...
I've run it around town a couple three or 4 times now and want to make sure they are all okay - might be part of the getting warm part?
Once I do that, I will be taking it back out and see if it is still getting warm or if it is all in my head???

It's like a drum roll, ta dada da da. Sounds like a good plan looking at the lash. Did you resuse the old stat? Maybe timing not advance enough and running hotter? Dbl check plug wire order?