headgasket howto

ncoop23

Registered User
Is there a good place to find info on the max limit on head warp I am debating on buying a 91SC was driven hard and had multiple head gasket failures. 59k miles good car but I think something is warped it overheated then the guy slapped new gaskets and a reman blower among other parts on and called it a day less than 5k later its puffing white smoke thats noticeable but not blasting out. Need to now how to approach this because its $500 and there isn't rust and there are a few other goodies on it. Also is there a walkthrough on the swap? I have the Chilton's but pics would be helpful. Also the car comes with 17" Cobra R's so I just need to know what to do once I get the old heads off with checking if they are junk. I can pull the heads off there and check out the problem before I commit.
 
well id say if the body is in good condition go for it for $500. You can always get a remanned engine for about 2,000 or find a jy engine for abour $500. Thats what i would do, tho!
 
Ok so when I ge check it out just pull the heads then have someone at a machine shop look at them?
 
might be ,who-ever was doing the work did it wrong ,surface the head ,and use some ARP's

one thing - in scotts write up - you dont need a PS puller ,just remove the whole bracket with the PS on it
 
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one thing - in scotts write up - you dont need a PS puller ,just remove the whole bracket with the PS on it

yea i was gonna say that but i musta got side-tracked. just pull both accessory brackets off, dont even worry about taking pullies off.
 
Bring a machinist straight edge and feeler gauges with you if you pull the heads. It should allow you to check for how flat the surfaces are. From what I've heard, nearly ever SC deck has some variation, even if it was flat at the factory, over time it won't be anymore. That's why it is always best to deck the block if you want to be sure.

You could part that car out and make more than $500 but it would be a fun project to bring back to life.
 
Bring a machinist straight edge and feeler gauges with you if you pull the heads. It should allow you to check for how flat the surfaces are. From what I've heard, nearly ever SC deck has some variation, even if it was flat at the factory, over time it won't be anymore. That's why it is always best to deck the block if you want to be sure.

You could part that car out and make more than $500 but it would be a fun project to bring back to life.

I don't have one of these is there anyone in the flint Michigan area that can give me a hand? I think that I am getting in over my head?
 
take it to a shop ask them to check it,,, they will before doing anything.
have them re-surface the head ,ask them when you are there how much they will be taking off ,should'nt have to be much if there's no problems
 
If you are in Flint don't assume that low miles = no rust even if you can't see any. I once looked at a legitimate 49k mile car from Pennsylvania. It looked great no visible rust. I stuck my hand underneath the driver's side ground effects and could feel the crunchiness starting. The rocker panels on these cars rust out like it is their job so check it out underneath as best as you can. If you can get it up on a lift even better. Other rust areas underneath I have encountered are the rear passenger footwells (where the rear passenger's feet would be).

As listed above there are numerous reasons why a headgasket job can fail. Improper bolt torque, sloppy installation in general, warped heads/block, reusing old head bolts, etc. I am guessing that the owner is not going to let you disassemble his running car in front of him, so you'll probably have to take a leap if you do buy it and hope that you can get it repaired properly. Frankly I don't see any reason why if you use the proper parts and methodology why you couldn't. I always have my heads decked at a machine shop to ensure flatness. I've never decked a block and I've never had any repeat failures.

I'd say for $500, unless that is your rent money you probably can't go wrong with the car. I paid that much for what I considered at the time to be a parts car. The body and interior were pretty well trashed. It didn't run well enough to drive. I cleaned it up and determined the ignition module was bad and it is now my daily beater.
 
Its a friends car it was in good shape cept for the gasket and his bro backed into it while it was in the driveway. I can take the heads off and get them checked out before I commit to buying it.
 
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