sorry I'm such a noob 
about to replace blown head gasket need help
here is a gasket kit from ebay, http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Fel-P...Q5fAccessories
sorry for the big address
sorry for the big address
On The Tree
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 143
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From: Loris,South Carolina
i done 3 head gasket jobs last month on lt1's and i used same bolts but replaced exhaust manifold bolts.. if you have factory exhaust manifold bolts i would suggest putting new ones in. after time they get weak and will break off in the head.. dont want that to happen.. the bolts are 3/8(size)-16(thread).. and make sure to get your heads surfaced before putting them back on.. good luck
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,169
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From: Born/Raised North East, MD Lived in VA, NC, MI Back in Yorktown, Va
/\ /\ /\ /\ he said it pretty well. i would suggest new bolts and long tubes. i mean hell you gotta pull them anyway might as well. lol and a word of advice do both the gaskets. IMHO if one fails then the other isnt gonna be to far behind.
TECH Regular
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 433
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you will need to replace the stock bolts, with either new fACTORY REPLACEMENS, OR ARP'S. sorry for the caps... biggest thing is to a) make SURE you remove all old gasket material. This is very important. b) you MUST retap the head bolt threads. Our head bolts go into the water jackest, and therefore all bolts have sealant on them. This needs to be removed or you will not get the proper torque to the bolt when re-installing the heads. Any hi temp sealant (silicon based) should work fine. I used the black permatex rtv.
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Verdad Gallardo Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,169
Likes: 1
From: Born/Raised North East, MD Lived in VA, NC, MI Back in Yorktown, Va
ok look buddy. ive pulled literally hundreds of heads and im only 20 i mustve pulled my LT heads 30 times between rebuilds swapping cars. head gaskets, whatever. and i have never done anything but when it was unbolted i blew it out with comp. air or just left it out. if you dont pack dirt or anything in the threads then you will be fine. dont run anything into your heads. ecspecially if they are aluminum you will **** those threads up in a heartbeat. im not saying im perfect or always right but look at experience and ask more people around
ok look buddy. ive pulled literally hundreds of heads and im only 20 i mustve pulled my LT heads 30 times between rebuilds swapping cars. head gaskets, whatever. and i have never done anything but when it was unbolted i blew it out with comp. air or just left it out. if you dont pack dirt or anything in the threads then you will be fine. dont run anything into your heads. ecspecially if they are aluminum you will **** those threads up in a heartbeat. im not saying im perfect or always right but look at experience and ask more people around
And I have to ask, what are you doing that requires you to pull your heads off 30 times?!
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,169
Likes: 1
From: Born/Raised North East, MD Lived in VA, NC, MI Back in Yorktown, Va
so how do you secure the exhaust to your heads? do they just hold themselves in there? well considering ive been throught about 9 motors. a 3 due to a shitty build. 2 due to being stock. another was my first LT1 i compeltey tore done to understand what was going on and all that. had to pull the head 4 times inside the cars multicars. and a few on other peoples cars cause of H/C swaps. and a few cause people blew the headgasket. ok im sorry i might not be exactly 30 but you get the idea. ive done it a few times. and i had everything from the bolts breaking in the block, header bolts breaking in the head, down to stripping the head off a bolt on the exhaust trying to get it off
I did my heads last year.. One of the most overlooked parts of the job is also the easiest. Make sure you organize all the stuff you remove. Bolts, parts that will be re-used, etc. Place everything in individual baggies and label them. Also, store the pushrods in the same order you removed them. Make sure you have all gasket surfaces clean (I use brake parts cleaner and a brillow pad) and spray some WD-40 in each cylinder if they will be exposed to the elements for a bit of time (so they don't get any surface rust). Make sure you use a thread chaser for all the head bolt threads in the block (to clean them out). Have a machine shop check the heads and freshen them up (clean them, valve job [if necessary], resurface, etc). I would not suggest re-using the factory head bolts being that they are torque to yield (TTY) and will expand and strip out the threads in your block if they are over-torqued, or used numerous times. Just pick yourself up a good set of ARP head bolts and a gasket kit (I personally used the GM impala heagasket [0.029 in thickness] and a fel-pro intake manifold/exhaust manifold gasket set. If you have any specific questions when doing the job, feel free to PM me. Good luck!
so how do you secure the exhaust to your heads? do they just hold themselves in there? well considering ive been throught about 9 motors. a 3 due to a shitty build. 2 due to being stock. another was my first LT1 i compeltey tore done to understand what was going on and all that. had to pull the head 4 times inside the cars multicars. and a few on other peoples cars cause of H/C swaps. and a few cause people blew the headgasket. ok im sorry i might not be exactly 30 but you get the idea. ive done it a few times. and i had everything from the bolts breaking in the block, header bolts breaking in the head, down to stripping the head off a bolt on the exhaust trying to get it off
And if you've had to do that much work, it sounds like you aren't exactly keen on what you're doing if you're constantly breaking bolts off in the block, head, stripping, etc. (especially if they've been off before
).Honestly it sounds like you're making **** up as you go. JMHO.
Now I'll add something that a friend of mine said to me when I was doing mine. Why don't you pocket port the heads while its apart? Why not replace the factory pushrods while you're in there. How about some 1.6 roller rockers....
Then again, you could just change the head gaskets.
Then again, you could just change the head gaskets.
never a bad idea to re-torque your heads after a few heat cycles either. fwiw.
oh, for organizing, i like to trace around my old head gaskets while on a large enough box. i then punch the holes out for the pushrods and viola, idiot proof organizing.
oh, for organizing, i like to trace around my old head gaskets while on a large enough box. i then punch the holes out for the pushrods and viola, idiot proof organizing.
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,169
Likes: 1
From: Born/Raised North East, MD Lived in VA, NC, MI Back in Yorktown, Va
No one said anything in this thread about exhaust manifolds. The argument is about head bolts.
And if you've had to do that much work, it sounds like you aren't exactly keen on what you're doing if you're constantly breaking bolts off in the block, head, stripping, etc. (especially if they've been off before ).
Honestly it sounds like you're making **** up as you go. JMHO.
And if you've had to do that much work, it sounds like you aren't exactly keen on what you're doing if you're constantly breaking bolts off in the block, head, stripping, etc. (especially if they've been off before
).Honestly it sounds like you're making **** up as you go. JMHO.
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,169
Likes: 1
From: Born/Raised North East, MD Lived in VA, NC, MI Back in Yorktown, Va
/\ /\ /\ X2 hyrdoflux the heads? thats like the techonological term right? (Myltwon) im not trying to be a dick or anything im just curious if im right but definatly a good suggestion if you have the funds and affordability to have the car immobile for that much longer.
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 368
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Not to confuse anyone, I do believe the correct term is magnaflux. It will clean the heads very well, and for a few extra dollars is well worth it. If you are putting headers on, I would buy some arp studs, or some better bolts....otherwise they will loosen up and you will have to check them often.