Story so far series 1 resto

[lancialulu]

I believe the club could hire you a spring compressor, but why noy buy one they are always a good thing to have if messing with old cars?

[lancianut666]

Hi all
had to go and fix a poorly PC yesterday so no progress...but seeing as the bodywork repairs won't start till later this year I will have a rummage for my valve spring compressor or buy a new one  and whip the head off.
Clarkey

[lancianut666]

Re valve spring compressor
No sign of it in my toolbox of doom so scored a cheapy one from ebay be here Thursday.. Alarmed to read some reviews on new ones from Halfords how the the threads stripped after three valves!!!! so went for an old fashioned cast thingy
Clarkey
ps any more tips for taking the head off.. can you take the inlet manifold off? will the ends of the rockers take a grindstone to take out any dents same goes for the little pushrods

[lancianut666]

Hi all
made a start this afternoon, got all the rocker shafts and head nuts off so tried to loosen the head by spinning it over on the key...no discernible movement... have I missed anything.. Will have another play tomorrow
Clarkey

[SanRemo78]

I assume the plugs are still in?

Now I've never tried this myself but it's something my Dad said many years ago that worked for him. Assuming cylinders 1 and 4 on an inline engine are matched you can try feeding some nylon rope through the plug holes and then spin the engine. The rope will compress but when there's enough in there it should pop the head loose. My experience with cylinder head removal is limited to Betas and they use bolts, not studs.

Guy

[frankxhv773t]

Bolts make things rather easier because once they are removed you can put a block of wood against the side of the head and belt it with a Birmingham screwdriver. With studs, the fact that you have removed the nuts from the top does not mean the studs themselves are not still welded onto the head by time, corrosion and sheer bloody mindedness. Martin Buckley wrote about a similar problem on a Flaminia engine in Classic & Sportscar in April 1990. His dad tried everything including a trolley jack under the exhaust manifold. The studs were so firmly seized that he was able to lift the whole front of the car off the ground without releasing the offending head. The final solution was to heat up the head judiciously with an oxyacelylene torch then cooling the studs with thin oil. Even this took some hours of repeated heat cycles to release the head.

There may be an easier solution out there though....

[lancianut666]

Hi all
The plugs were all in and it turned over very slowly so I will try charging the battery and having another go. I was wondering if there is anything else to undo, the inlet manifold is still on as is the exhaust manifold but there is only a short bit of pipe on there. The carb linkage is disconnected along with the top hose and the fuel line (plugged with a golf tee) there is a heater hose on the bottom of the inlet manifold and a banjoed metal pipe from the manifold to the head??
Thanks for all the advice, the one about the nylon rope is interesting
If none of these methods work I might have to put the engine crane back together and take the engine and box out AAARRRGGGHHH!!!
Clarkey

[the.cern]

The head WILL come off ..... it is simply a matter of what method will do the job most easily and with no damage!!!

I have heard of the nylon rope method before but have never tried it. It is sound in principle, but I have yet to meet anyone who has used it. My concern is that somewhere there will be something still securing the head, maybe a nut not removed and so there is that potential for damage!!! Please note that I am a renowned worrier!!!

Pretty much guaranteed, but a lot of work is to use the method I  employed on the B20. It requires making a puller consisting of a steel plate drilled to match the rocker shaft securing studs and the head studs. The holes matching the head studs are tapped. MO ... bolt the plate onto the head using the rocker shaft studs. Insert bolts into the threaded holes over the head studs. Tighten these bolts down evenly to bear onto the ends of the head studs thus lifting the head in a controlled, level manner. A lot of work, but it does the job!!!!

I should add here that I have not done this on an Appia and assume that rocker shaft studs and head studs are arrayed in a suitable manner.

Good luck!!

                       Andy

[lancianut666]

Hi Andy
sounds like a good idea except I have no taps or dies....might be time for the rope trick...will have a play after lunch have been working on a database for a customer and now my head hurts.
Clarkey

[lancianut666]

Hi all
resorted to the engine crane only result was the car was lifted off the ground! have left the studs to soak overnight  and will get the blowlamp out tomorrow
Clarkey

[nistri]

Sorry for my silly question but have you removed the hidden back bolt? Andrea

[nistri]

I mean nut and not bolt, Andrea

[lancianut666]

Hi
one of the domed nuts down the back of the head has been removed making 12 in all with 1 large domed nut from the middle of the head. The damned thing is so solid it feels like all the nuts are still on!
Clarkey

[lancianut666]

Hi all
the plan today is to stick the blowlamp either down the thermostat hole (no thermostat in there) or up the exhaust manifold then get the engine crane to give some tension onto the studs by pulling up on the head and the with a block of wood tap the cylinder block down to loosen the head..sounds easy but I bet there will be a lot of swearing...
Clarkey

[lancianut666]

no swearing just frustration...have left the car suspended from the head as I am at lunch now...tried heating the head up with a blowlamp no effect...