Predator

Fellas, I'm ready to remove my stock heads, and I'm following LS1howto.com. Jmx says to reach behind the heads and disconnect the various ground wires, brackets, etc., but I'm having a hard time getting my thick arms and hands behind there. Can't I just unbolt the heads, move 'em forward a little bit, and then disconnect the stuff on the back? Or do I absolutely have to do this first. Thanks.

99blancoSS

iTrader: (115)

Yes you can. Just be careful not to pull them to far forward. Only takes a little bit and a slight turn and you can reach the bolts.

Predator

Thankyou 99blancoSS, glad to hear I can do it that way. I can proceed now.

This is turning out to be more "fun" than I thought. It's cheap labor though.

aNuBiS

iTrader: (25)

It's alot more fun after youve done it a few times and know what to expect, lol.

Just be careful if your heads dowel pins stay in the block, not to scrape up the bottom of your heads or combustion chambers, etc when you move them forward.

99blancoSS

iTrader: (115)

LOL.... box of bandaids is mandatory for working on these cars

Predator

lol, "alot more fun after you've done it a few times," and probably tougher to drag your *** out there knowing what you have to face. lol

And thanks for the heads up about the dowel pins. It sounds like I need to lift the heads forward rather than sliding them? Thanks again.

Predator

lol, I think I'm beyond bandaids, more like tourniquets, gauze, and surgical tape.

01Z28M6

If you just lift the heads and move them forward you will be resting the sealing surface on the dowels. Then any pressure you exert on those back bolts will move the head surface around on the tops of the dowels. I didn't want to do this so I used a crows foot on an extension to break the one bolt loose; there were two on the driver's side if I remember right. The other came free with an open end wrench and some awkward tapping. I can tell you from experience that the amount you will be able to move them forward with ground wires still attached will be quite small and you probably won't like what's happening while you are still struggling to break the bolts free. Where you are now is a critical place in the process, I slowed way down at this point.

I too have have thick forearms but maybe not like yours. As said, there was a lot of bleeding getting those heads off.

Predator

Thanks for the heads up 01Z28M6. I was looking for a way to lessen the amount of suffering, but I'll bite the bullet, throw back a shot of whiskey, and give it an honest effort to get my arms back there before I resort to trying to move the heads forward. In fact, sensing that I needed to be careful, I've knocked-off for the day, and I'll attack it when I'm fresh, maybe tomorrow. I wanted some feedback from you guys also before I proceded. I have been taking my time, been working on it since last weekend, so I'm not rushing anything. The greatest advantage to doing it yourself is that time becomes an ally rather than an enemy.

It's funny how the things you think are going to give you a problem turn-out to be easy, like the power steering pump. Jmx warned that it was the "fun part," yet it turned-out to be simple as hell, and yet no heads up was given about clearing the wires and brackets from the back of the heads.

Thanks for the tip about the crow's foot.

And thanks again, I'm very grateful for your help.

2002_z28_m6

iTrader: (10)

Predator did you try to see if you can reach up from the bottom? Just an Idea. I dont know if it can be done. I will be facing this tomorrow. My car is to the point that I need to remove the heads. Good luck man.

Predator

I haven't tried yet, I'll try tomorrow. I never gave a thought to trying from the bottom, but I don't think so. It would be a long reach up through where the headers come out.

Keep me posted on how you make out because my next step too is to remove the wires and brackets from the back of the heads. Good luck to you too! We'll both get it done though. What always gives me confidence is knowing that it's been done many times before us, so it is possible. Hang in there!

01Z28M6

Just so you know, the crow's foot didn't improve things much. It just worked out that I was able to get the one bolt loose with it. The foot didn't want to stay on the bolt head and the way it works is putting a lot of torque on the ratchet. You'll probably give a "what the hell" once you assemble the tools but it's an option.

JMX is going to go down quietly in LSx history for his howto. It wasn't perfect but hundreds if not thousands of LS1 owners would not have tackled the job without his instructions.

As for the PS pump, that little bit of advice about moving the pump forward as you loosen that one bolt instead of removing the pulley was tremendously simple advice.

One more thing that I found VERY helpful; once you have the water pump removed, use a shop vac to pull ALL the coolant from the heads. I did this on a tip and did not lose one drop down into the cylinders or bolt holes. Which leads to one more bit of advice: The bolt holes must be very clean with no fluid in them at all. I accomplished this with an air gun with a 1/4" hose attached. I then used solvent on a long q-tip to be certain everything was cleared out and snaked the little hose down each hole a couple more times with a rag to catch everything that blows upward.

Esco99

iTrader: (2)

nm found the answer to my own question

Predator

I wasn't criticising Jmx, just pointing-out an oddity with my experience. He created some absolutely brilliant, stunning documents. The guy's a phenom. My hat's off to him and I owe him so much. And you're so right, I never would have attempted my head swap, let alone the cam swap without his guidance. I followed his cam swap document to a tee, and everything went as he promised except for not being able to get the rod into one side of the engine block, but not Jmx's fault in any way, and he even explained how to use pen magnets which ultimately bailed me out. The guy's my hero, truly.

Thanks for the further tips about the shop-vac and cleaning the bolt holes.

I'm getting myself psyched-up to dive in behind the heads. I always look for easier alternatives before fully committing myself to doing what has to be done. So far everything has gone smoothly, but I thought it was all downhill after getting my headers off. It seems that now the "fun" really begins. I'm looking forward to plowing ahead.

I've removed my manifold quite a few times, once to swap in an LS6 manifold, and twice for the knock sensors. The first time I routed the wire under where the manifold seats and crushed the wire, so I had to remove it all over again. That sucked, but my point is that I forgot how many things have to be disconnected to get the manifold off, and there's even way more stuff to get the heads off. The 12-bolt rearend was simple compared to this even though it had it moments like trying to get the LCA bolt through the new rearend bracket, the LCA bracket and the LCA all at once. Anyway, I'm drifting from the subject.

Thanks again for your help and useful tips.

Predator

http://www.ls1howto.com/

tnmotown

iTrader: (107)

wow, im glad i read this thread!! im tackling my head/cam swap on monday and this is some good advice on getting those wires and brackets from the back of the heads.

Predator, when you began your head swap, did you have to drop the headers or just loosen them from the y-pipe and heads and kinda let them hang aside?

I will be following ls1howto.com also and have read that article at least a dozen times so i dont screw up!!

Sammyboy

iTrader: (9)

Don't forget your coolant plugs off of your old heads. I did, and started dumping coolant right on the ground.

Predator

You can just let the headers hang in the engine compartment. I took mine off because I'm putting-in some ARHs.

When I disconnected my y-pipe from the cats, it just fell to the ground while still being attached to the catback, so you don't have to disconnect it from the catback too. I had to because I'm installing a new catted y-pipe.

Predator

Thanks! Good heads up!

Predator

Just to clarify, I meant that the front section of the y-pipe, the two inlets, sort of swung down and hit the ground, not that the entire y-pipe hit the ground.