Getting the valves off!
The Heads were a pretty sad sight. years of oil and heat had built
up inside and out. My Job.. Get the valves out and send it to the machine
shop for a rebuild.
The Carbon buildup was interesting, because it pointed out which cylinders
had failed first. I'm going to have the machine shop check for head cracks,
and then install hardened valve seats on the exhaust valves. This is recommended
for older cars which were designed to run on Leaded fuel.
A detailed look at the head, shows that the valves look pretty good,
but with this amount of carbon buildup, I can't tell much about the condition
of the seats. The common stress point for cracks is between the valves.
The machine shop will check for this after the heads get a bath in acid.
Getting the valve springs off was a real challenge. I tried 3 types of
spring compressors before finding this one. Its from Sears for about $20. The
problem with most of the compressors, is that you have to hold them in the compressed
state. This one locks in place, allowing you to remove the keepers with both hands.
The keepers on the valve stems are tapered and lock in. Even with the valve spring
completely compressed you need both hands.
Here is a nice close up of the valve keeper. First you need to spin them
around to the front, then pull them out with needle nose pliers. After I got the
parts off, I put everything for each valve in a plastic bag and marked it.
That engine's gotta go
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Author: Bill McKenna
email bill@mckennasgarage.com