replacing headgasket

[inh]

After hydrolocking last night, i got it runnin and drove to the auto skills center here on post and started tearing apart the engine to replace the head gasket. After getting through the mess of wires and vacuumlines (i can just tell im gonna forget a few when its time to hook back up, i managed to pull the head off. The was about an inch of water in the cylinder... i looked real closely, but i couldnt see the factory honing on the walls like creager could. my pushrod ends are a bit ovalized, and my lifters look good. I scraped off the old gasket material, put a new gasket on, and torqued down the head and lower manifold. And thats how it sits for tonight. Sorry i dont have pics, my camera got left behind in my rush to get started this morning. im hoping to be back on the road by tomorrow night. Sure hope this head gasket holds, for at least like 3 weeks till i can order the parts in for my engine rebuild..

 

[Creager]

You hyrdolocked last night! damn dude! haha

Fel-pro head gasket?

it should hold up. The only thing that REALLY should be FORD during a rebuild is the lower intake. Mainly because FORD uses vulcanized rubber around the port openings, while FEL-PRO and the likewise use cork...

Although, i believe that has changed. I hear some say FEL-PRO puts out two kits one, one with rubber. Jefe (?) recently had his 4.0 apart, he claimed each gasket he put on from FEL-PRO was identical to the gaskets he took off from FORD.

I guess i know soon enough! haha

 

[inh]

i dunno what the head gasket was, but im pretty sure it got a.. man cant even think of the name right now but its a well known brand. think its a guys name. all is back together, and i wish i could say it started right up and ran perfect, but it didnt... i forgot to connect the brake boost vacuum line. did that and it ran perfect smoke like hell for a bit but then seemed to stop, andno CEL yet after driving a few miles so we'll see. Man i hope it holds at least for a few more weeks. Then ill have the cash to rebuild

for anyone thinking abotu changing the head gasket, jsut do it. i saved myself nearly $1000 in labor by doing it myself. If you are woried about all the vacuum lined and electrical wires dont be, its surprisingly easy to put back together because the harnesses stay kinda formed to where they connect to.

And i only lost 3 valve cover bolts and my driversside valve cover breather tube! At least now i can add 'custom valve cover bolts' to my list of mods!

 

[inh]

just remembered, its a victor rienz gasket