Is installing heads a DIY project?
#1
Drifting
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Is installing heads a DIY project?
I've never put new heads on a car and wanted to know if it was a DIY kind of job. I am fairly mechanically inclined and do a lot of work on my cars myself (water pumps, alternators, brakes, headers and exhaust etc...). I'm not really afraid to do the job myself, but since I've never done it before, I wanted to find out if it was something that could be accomplished in the typical home garage, or is it something that I should farm out.
Thanks for the help!
Josh
Thanks for the help!
Josh
#5
Drifting
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Any idea on how long of a process it is. I know that once you do something, you can do it faster in the future, but what's a ballpark figure on time for a first attempt?
#6
Le Mans Master
Make sure you have all the required torque settings for assembly, in fact a shop manual would be a great asset!
#7
Not at all dificult on a Pushrod engine. There is one pesky bolt on the Alternator that takes 20 min to take out. The rest is cake, really ! Since you have to take the exhaust manifolds off anyway you may want to consider headers at the same time.
#8
Drifting
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I already have LG's on the car, but have thought about doing a cam swap too (never done that before either). I'm assuming that this is the best time to do this as well?
#9
Tech Contributor
Heads are 15-20 hours working comfortably. I think the only thing you can do to mess it up is scraping the old gasket material off. Use cometic multi-layer steel gaskets from then on. Clean the bolt holes with compressed air. The alternator bracket is your only resistant new friend. It all comes together.
#10
Le Mans Master
The R&R of the cam is another matter. You have to move the steering rac, as well as remove the damper which is tightened to approminately 240 foot pounds. It has to be marked in relation to its position on the crank so that you can re-install it correctly. The oil pump will have to be primed ...... and etc. There are many items that can cause problems......... Then of course any cam should be checked with a degree wheel to make sure that it is installed correctly. It is a bit more challenging than changing the heads.
I suggest that you shoot Spinmonster a PM as he has much more experience than most of us