The Ford Barn - View Single Post

tubman · 02-07-2021, 07:05 PM

"30-9" - Like "JSeery" said, everything I did is nice, but not necessary. I will tell you that, while I am a few years younger than you, I am still getting on in years and am not able to do everything I used to be able to do. Once you have the heads off and the block cleaned up, all of the hard work is done. The rest of it comes under the heading of "puttering", especially with aluminum heads which are not nearly as heavy as the stock iron units. You put some grease on the tops of the pistons and then roll a bunch of of "BB" size aluminum foil balls and stick them on the tops of the pistons, install the heads without gaskets, snug up 4 or 5 bolts, and turn the engine a couple of times. Take the heads off and measure the thickness of the foil balls to first, determine if the overall head needs to be milled (all balls over .060" thick), and second, determine whether any of the combustion chambers need to be ground to provide minimum clearance. I find it an enjoyable process, one that takes minimum physical effort, and is even fun to do. I can't throw engines (or even transmissions) around any more, but I can take the heads on and off a couple of times, do some grinding, and maybe even take a leisurely drive to the machine shop.

It's the kind of a task specifically suited to us "old guys".

But if you like the look, it's worth while doing for that reason alone.

02-07-2021, 07:05 PM	#29
tubman Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Minnesota, Florida Keys Posts: 10,312	Re: Aluminum heads "30-9" - Like "JSeery" said, everything I did is nice, but not necessary. I will tell you that, while I am a few years younger than you, I am still getting on in years and am not able to do everything I used to be able to do. Once you have the heads off and the block cleaned up, all of the hard work is done. The rest of it comes under the heading of "puttering", especially with aluminum heads which are not nearly as heavy as the stock iron units. You put some grease on the tops of the pistons and then roll a bunch of of "BB" size aluminum foil balls and stick them on the tops of the pistons, install the heads without gaskets, snug up 4 or 5 bolts, and turn the engine a couple of times. Take the heads off and measure the thickness of the foil balls to first, determine if the overall head needs to be milled (all balls over .060" thick), and second, determine whether any of the combustion chambers need to be ground to provide minimum clearance. I find it an enjoyable process, one that takes minimum physical effort, and is even fun to do. I can't throw engines (or even transmissions) around any more, but I can take the heads on and off a couple of times, do some grinding, and maybe even take a leisurely drive to the machine shop. It's the kind of a task specifically suited to us "old guys". But if you like the look, it's worth while doing for that reason alone.