Head swap

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Jan 17, 2009 | 04:52 PM

Quil

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Drifting

Joined: Dec 2007

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From: Coastal Georgia

C2 of the Year Finalist - Modified 2020

Head swap

I'm getting ready to swap my first set of heads, and just wanted to get some advice or suggestions for things I should be aware of. I've got all the tools I need, and I've adjusted rocker arms before, so it seems to be pretty straightforward. Any tips you guys have would surely be appreciated before I dig in.

BTW, I'm swapping an old set of 882 iron heads for a set of GMPP Fast Burn Aluminum heads. Don't know if there's anything specifically I should be ready for with those or not (head bolt torque setting, bolt pattern, etc).

TIA

Jan 17, 2009 | 06:59 PM

IronJen

Abby Normal

Joined: Dec 2001

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From: Press "2" for English

can't think of anything special about such a swap. just be "surgery room" clean. make sure the mating surfaces are clean. run a tap through the block threads. lube the bolts and torque in steps. pretty basic stuff.
as much as i'd like, i haven't done an aluminum head swap yet so if there's anything special about that, i'm all

Jan 17, 2009 | 07:18 PM

Gordonm

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From: Forked River NJ

Make sure you use head bolts with washers for the aluminum heads. I have always used ARP with my aluminum heads. As said above keep it clean as possible. Also use the correct head gaskets for aluminum heads.

Jan 17, 2009 | 07:36 PM

Quil

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Drifting

Joined: Dec 2007

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From: Coastal Georgia

C2 of the Year Finalist - Modified 2020

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gordonm

I have the ARP head bolts with the washers ready to go. Do you know which head gasket is recommended? I've seen Fel-Pro 1003 and Fel-Pro 1010, but read that the 1010 are for higher horsepower applications.

Jan 17, 2009 | 07:48 PM

jackson

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From: Unreconstructed, South Carolina

Better use some thread sealant on the head bolt threads ... lube the washers but seal the threads. As for gaskets, do a search on "quench height" before you proceed.

Jan 17, 2009 | 07:52 PM

Gordonm

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From: Forked River NJ

I use the 1010 on my AFR heads.

Jan 17, 2009 | 07:58 PM

Quil

Thread Starter

Drifting

Joined: Dec 2007

Posts: 1,309

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From: Coastal Georgia

C2 of the Year Finalist - Modified 2020

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackson

Better use some thread sealant on the head bolt threads ... lube the washers but seal the threads. As for gaskets, do a search on "quench height" before you proceed.

I've been looking into quench...my block (an 010 block) had been decked. I was looking at using a .041 gasket for a total of .051 quench height. Would that work OK?

Also did some calculations on dynamic compression ratio, and looks like my DCR is about 8.6. Will this combo work ok on pump gas with those numbers?

Last edited by Quil; Jan 17, 2009 at 09:21 PM.

Jan 17, 2009 | 11:58 PM

L88Plus

Drifting

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From: Lubbock TX

Compressed air is generally a no-no around engine assembly due to the crap it stirs up, but be sure you turn the engine over and use high pressure air to go around every piston when it's at TDC. Crud that gets trapped above the top ring will screw up the cylinder wall so quickly it'll make your head spin and you'll have gone backwards with your swap due to bad ring seal. It's amazing how much crap gets down there, even if you're very careful. You'll need to scrape the deck clean to make sure you get good head gasket seal and there's no way to keep every piece of crap out of the bores. Cover the lifter valley really good before you start to keep it clean.