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So....I wanna replace the head and put metal headgasket and APR head studs in the car....OVER THE WEEKEND..!?! I wanna drive it to work Monday... so I'm just asking if there is anything I need to look or plan for so I have everything on hand to handle the job. I've heard twice that the head studs will interfere with the valve cover.....can someone tell me how much of it to remove and what is the best way of removing.....material from the stud or the valve cover.....??? Also, how far do the studs need to extend out of the block to be considered..."properly seated" ..??? How much should I torque the bolts to?? What's the best metal head gasket??? And whatever u feel is useful information.....I would appreciate!!

I think the biggest thing is making sure you remove oil from the threaded bolt holes in the block. Take extra time on this as you don't want to crack the block because you rushed this!

Here is a picture of mine with the nuts torqued down after applying the lubricating grease supplied. I torqued in 3 steps like the S38 procedure suggests. Then get the chain on and triple check slack is only on the tensioner side. Then rotate one full engine rotation and make sure the alignment is correct for timing.


The interference is on the valve cover baffle next to the breather. I think it is the 3rd bolt head from the front, on the intake side.

Make sure you know how to set the engine to TDC before you remove the head.

What research have you done on this procedure? It should be doable in the weekend even as your first time if you have all the tools. The torque meter being the one I didn't have... Have you adjusted valves before?

Plan/prepare for if you pull the head & see a chewed up timing rail or guide. It'll make you think twice about just plopping the head back on.

Chase/clean the threads in the block thoroughly. Prep the head/block surfaces. If you're like me & see carbon on the pistons you'll want to clean that off carefully without scoring the cylinder walls. Install arp studs, I like to lightly tighten into the block then back out a tad. Set timing on block & head prior to putting head on the block. Once you set the vc onto the head, it wont clear on the baffle. Ez fix. Triple check timing when installing the chain. I think torque spec on arp is 30/60/90. I think I did 15/30/45/60/75/90 in sequence or something like that. No such thing as being too cautious.

tschultz wrote:I think the biggest thing is making sure you remove oil from the threaded bolt holes in the block. Take extra time on this as you don't want to crack the block because you rushed this!

Here is a picture of mine with the nuts torqued down after applying the lubricating grease supplied. I torqued in 3 steps like the S38 procedure suggests. Then get the chain on and triple check slack is only on the tensioner side. Then rotate one full engine rotation and make sure the alignment is correct for timing.


The interference is on the valve cover baffle next to the breather. I think it is the 3rd bolt head from the front, on the intake side.

Make sure you know how to set the engine to TDC before you remove the head.

What research have you done on this procedure? It should be doable in the weekend even as your first time if you have all the tools. The torque meter being the one I didn't have... Have you adjusted valves before?

Man....thank you for the very informative and thorough answer ombré. As an engineer I am concerned with the intricacies and details of a job so I can perform it once properly and not again. I see u are the same.... It's awesome to get this kind of information from a forum.... It's the reason we join forums ...RIGHT!?! It sucks when ppl highjack your post just to expel BS.... It's only because these ppl probably haven't dealt with the intricacies of the subject you are discussing...lol. I feel like I wanna ask if you are an engineer as well..?? Are you?? You are very detailed and informative....this is the second or third time you have helped me out with an informative and thorough answer to a project I am planning. Thank you ombré.

Nebraska_e28 wrote:Plan/prepare for if you pull the head & see a chewed up timing rail or guide. It'll make you think twice about just plopping the head back on.

Chase/clean the threads in the block thoroughly. Prep the head/block surfaces. If you're like me & see carbon on the pistons you'll want to clean that off carefully without scoring the cylinder walls. Install arp studs, I like to lightly tighten into the block then back out a tad. Set timing on block & head prior to putting head on the block. Once you set the vc onto the head, it wont clear on the baffle. Ez fix. Triple check timing when installing the chain. I think torque spec on arp is 30/60/90. I think I did 15/30/45/60/75/90 in sequence or something like that. No such thing as being too cautious.

Thank you again for the informative and thorough answer ombré. Are YOU an engineer too or just a detailed oriented person too?? Lol. I bought a new chain, tensioner and guides just to replace them since I'll be there anyway. Man, I can't say thank you enough....you have helped me a couple of times and your knowledge is GREATLY appreciated!! I'll let you guys know what happens....the fact that I've researched the job, have done harder jobs AND I have sources of prolific knowledge such as yourself and the guys at TCD I'm sure I should be able to knock this job easily and be running hard at the end of the weekend. The goal is to be ready for road Atlanta events by spring of winter..!!! If you ever plan to come there for an event....please let me know. Thanks.

I am indeed - I have found a lot of old/classic car enthusiasts are actually.

I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Happy to help!

A couple of things to bear in mind while doing this.
I recommend you remove the exhaust manifolds but don't remove the intake, it makes it easier to grab and lift the head (also... have an extra pair of hands for this part if you want to do this carefully).
Be extra careful not to let anything near the chain part, remember that if something falls there (say.. a nut) you might need to disassemble a lot more to retrieve it (ask me how I know )
A couple of things I'd also do/check, fuel hoses, check for cracks and replace if needed. Buy the whole set of gaskets for the upper part of the engine as well, try to get the exhaust ones that have the heat shield. As said before, be extra careful to clean and remove all the oil from the threads, as this can crack your block.
A visual inspection of the head once removed is never a bad thing.
Clean the TB while you are at it, try not to remove the fuel rail from the intake as this can damage the o-rings if they are old.
Be sure to disconnect all vacuum hoses from the intake as well as the bottom support for the intake.
Inspect the coolant hoses before starting the job, because if one gets broken while removing/installing the head I doubt you'll be able to commute on monday
I'd also do a coolant/oil change after this (but this is just me... no real need to do so if you remove a couple of quarts of coolant before starting.
Buy querosene, gas, or your favorite thing to clean everything while it's out.
Almost forgot, buy rtv or similar, you want to place a small (very very small) amount where the front cover meets the block and the head (3 surfaces make contact), if you don't you'll probably get a small oil leak there