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In-car head removal

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C cenglesMember
Dear Robbie,

I suppose it could be done with two or three guys. I would not attempt it alone.

I have done it a handful of times and use the common cherry picker lift. Remember the limited "headroom" over the head. Apply a short length of chain to the head. Remove all the bolts except two--one fore and aft. Loosen those two notably. Connect the lift arm to the short chain. Mind the "headroom". Proceed to gently jack the arm up. It will lift the head off. The still-attached-loose head bolts with prevent any excessive upward movement.

Once loose, drop the arm and head carefully back down. Remove the two loose bolts and then jack the head up. Once clear, pull the lift and cylinder head out of the engine bay. No strain on the back except kneeling in the engine bay for the wrench work. No strain on the neck nor shoulders. No twisting of the old back. Much reduced likelihood of inadvertent damage and injury.

Warmest regards, Chuck Engles
markcharltonmarkcharltonOld enough to know better and still young enough not to care. My '71 Pantera
All good suggestions above. One thing not mentioned is that it's a LOT easier if you remove the deck lid. Another tip is to line the engine bay with moving blankets (cheap and thick). I also made a platform for working in the engine bay which made doing the job alone a much easier prospect. It's really not that difficult a task but if you need to refinish the engine bay as well, pulling the engine does make THAT task a LOT easier!

Mark

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J jffrMember
quote:
Originally posted by C. Engles:
Dear Robbie,

I suppose it could be done with two or three guys. I would not attempt it alone.

I have done it a handful of times and use the common cherry picker lift. Remember the limited "headroom" over the head. Apply a short length of chain to the head. Remove all the bolts except two--one fore and aft. Loosen those two notably. Connect the lift arm to the short chain. Mind the "headroom". Proceed to gently jack the arm up. It will lift the head off. The still-attached-loose head bolts with prevent any excessive upward movement.

Once loose, drop the arm and head carefully back down. Remove the two loose bolts and then jack the head up. Once clear, pull the lift and cylinder head out of the engine bay. No strain on the back except kneeling in the engine bay for the wrench work. No strain on the neck nor shoulders. No twisting of the old back. Much reduced likelihood of inadvertent damage and injury.

Warmest regards, Chuck Engles


Yes the cherry picker lift is certainly a good idea! Of course going back with aluminum heads is so much easier. When I switched over to aluminum heads on my last engine, I had my wife hand them to me one at a time and I took it from there.
stevebuchananstevebuchananMember
I did this recently without a helper. It was easier to get the heads off than to put them back on. If I do this again I will try to use an engine crane to levitate the head over its final position. Otherwise you risk damaging your new head gaskets.

It is significantly easier to do this type of work on an engine stand. Doing it in the car was difficult and I was not fully prepared for the effort needed to reinstall the heads. The heads are heavy and awkward.
SharkeySharkeyForum Sponsor - Pantera Miami
Not a biggie we do 'em all the time. Remove deck lid first. One mechanic job, half day w/air tools. Once all is loose, lift it from the pegs, slide it upward to rest on the block/engine valley for a moment, lift and slide little at a time. Lay it into the padded t/axle area, get out, lift the head from the car. Set it on the bench & bust it down. Pay attention when replacing head gaskets, don't want to do the job twice. Shark
J jffrMember
quote:
Originally posted by PanteraDoug:
Yikes! Whimpy, whimpy, whimpy. The iron heads are only 60 pounds each. What are you guys all women?

Get a nice set of aluminum heads or is that not politically correct ladies?

Lets not get all dirty and greasy now? Ooo! Yucky!


Nothing wrong with aluminum heads as far as I am concerned. I can't complain about my switch to them or even sequential port fuel injection!

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