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thanks man I'm going to do the compression test and then attempt the job when I get the gaskets , any brand of gasket you would recommend that work better and are less likely to have a sealing issue since I'm not a expert at installing these gaskets ? Looks like your well into the job good luck with it .

s carter

Since it appears that you are getting coolant in to the Cylinders if you are not going to have the Heads off by the weekend, I would recommend getting the car to were you will be doing the repair drain the coolant if you have not done so already with plugs out spin the motor and blow out any remaining Water/coolant out of the cylinders . If possible blow with compressed air and coat the Cylinders with oil, and throw the plugs back in at least finger tight. You don't want Moisture doing bad things to the Cylinder walls.

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Thank you , any particular brand of gaskets you would recommend thats not to high priced? All reply's greatly appreciated.

s carter

I always used ones from the Dealership but that was were I worked, or Fel-Pro if we were out of stock never had a problem, but that was years ago.

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Can any of you guys recommend the sealants I should use for the entire head gasket replacement process ? I want to know exactly what sealant to use, Type, Brand Etc.I will be sure to hit the thanks button for any replies .

A Peter C4

If the engine got hot enough to blow the gasket you should have a shop pressure test and check both heads for warpage, truely flat, not cracked from overheated, you don't want to do all that work and not be happy having to do it again. Is your plan to just replace 1 head gasket? Head gaskets go on dry no sealant.

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Im about to install the head gaskets the corvette is completely disassembled, can a few experts tell me vital things i need to do or watch out for to complete the job without any problems? (what sealants to use on certain bolts, special procedures,anything that might be overlooked by a novice)Thanks

kenmohr

Make sure you have the heads checked. possible warp. Just had mine done running great now. Best of luck your way.

cadmaniac

I would do a compression LEAK DOWN test. That will tell you exactly what is going on inside each cylinder. Everything else is just guesswork.

Otherwise, as mentioned I would pull the plugs and look for a cleaner cylinder than the rest, indicating water/coolant in the cylinder.

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Heads were pressure tested and surfaced.Im looking for the little things i might overlook,i have a FSM already.

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I did a pressure test on the heads and it came back good,When i removed the heads there was about a cup of coolant in a few of the cylinders and the head gasket looked brittle and damaged.
Im looking for any small novice mistakes i might make while reassembling like not using the correct type of sealant and where to use sealant and where not to,things of that nature.Im also not sure if i fully understand how to adjust the valve lash but i will post on that when i get to it.

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also glad to hear you got yours running.Im probably going to need help with valve lash too if you can give me any advice, thanks

WW7

Just make sure the block surface is scraped perfectly clean, then wipe it down with brake cleaner or lacquer thinners just before installing the heads.. You should use molylube or 30 weight motor oil on the head bolts , coat the top side of the washer ( not the bottom side) and the underside of the bolt head with lube so you get an accurate torque on the bolts...Put Permatex thread sealant #59235 or equivalant on the threads of all the head bolts before installing them.. I used new ARP head bolts on my head install and they come with both lube and sealant in the box...I have Dart Pro 1 heads so I torqued the bolts to 70 ft lbs on my motor, but I believe the stock bolts get torqued to (65 ft lbs)...Make sure you use the proper torque sequence on the bolts and take them down in 1/3rd incrementes of 20 lbs, 40 lbs , and 65 lbs.. I always go over them a second time at 65 ft lbs just to make sure they are all torqued the same.. Using the proper torque sequence is very important to do so the head gasket is pulled down evenly. ...WW
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Thanks for your time/knowledge man, i wasnt aware of doing the torque sequence in increments of 3,I bought new mahle headbolts that have some sort of sealant applied already but appears dry, and no instructions were given to say if additional sealant is required.Also while in there i noticed a plug thats damaged,i have no idea what it is or what it is called if you can identify it please?Hope your build went smooth it was looking cool i want to put something like that in mine when time is up on my engine.

Ray Quayle

Knock Sensor.

WW7

Like my buddy "Ray Quayle" says above, it's your knock sensor.. Looks like someone forgot to plug it back in, or sometimes they get old and cracked , then fell off.... I'm sure your getting engine knock without it being plugged in, you don't want engine knock, it can crack a piston or ring if the systems not working properly...If your plug is broken and won't snap and hold onto the knock sensor you can buy a new plug at Rockauto.com, the plugs are listed below..If your head bolts already have sealer on them don't apply anything else.. The dry sealer on those bolt threads melts when it gets hot and seals the threads so you don't get leakage... For me the hardest part of the whole job was getting my fuel injectors to seal in the fuel rail on reassembly.. It took 3 tries before I could get them right..Just remember , one of the most important things is to have your block and head surfaces perfectly clean.. I even used some very fine sand paper on the block to get all the imperfections off. Remember to put clean rags in your cylinders so you don't get anything in them while cleaning your block... My heads had just been milled flat so they were already clean , all I did with them was wipe them down with lacquer thinners.The head gaskets I used were suggested to me by quite a few engine builders and by the shop that reworked my heads, they are inexpensive but supposed to be one of the better gaskets for the small block Chevy.....
The gaskets are listed here> https://www.summitracing.com/parts/f...3pt2/overview/

Here are the knock sensor plugs...
http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/c...onnector,13326
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WW7

When I started my engine up for the first time after doing the heads, I truly expected to have some sort of problem to address, but to my surprise it didn't need any adjustment or reworking at all... . I was very relieved to say the least.......Below is a video of the start up after the head gasket and cam install....Man, I love the sound of that cam.......WW

https://www.flickr.com/gp/153592855@N06/ne24y1
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ghoastrider1

darn good advice offered here. WV knows hie stuff also

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Thanks for all the information and links,The knock sensor plug was on,i unplugged it to inspect it because it looked bad,i guess i might as well replace the knock sensor itself too while in there.I bought the BoschIII injectors to upgrade the crap stock ones.Good to hear your vette is good to go,it sounds/looks cool, a corvette version K.I.T. (knight rider)

WW7

You said you have a Factory service manual, go to page 6A1-8 and it explains how to adjust the valves the easiest way possible.. You only have to get the engine up on "#1 top dead center" adjust 8 valves, then turn the motor over one full turn , and adjust the other 8 valves..For a completely stock top end motor this works as well as any method, plus it's very easy to do..Just follow the book.... If you get a new knock sensor, make sure you torque it to the proper spec ( it's in the FSM) , they don't work properly unless they are torqued correctly...WW
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