[glht_omni]

well the new 91 r/t i recenty bought didnt start when i bought it and now i know why. compression test showed 0-30-30-0 and the radiator was empty. no fluids mixed.
so i spent a hour or so getting ready to get the head off, now i'm down to unbolting the exhaust manifold and pulling the head bolts.
it already has a mls or copper head gasket on it now, which leads me to believe it was overheated and warped. (what do you think?)
i already have all new gaskets and head bolts, i am on a budget right now so i cant splurge on the upgrades i want.

i am wondering what advice/tips you guys have that i should do while its off, i planned on redoing the vacuum lines, cleaning everything i can, throwing on a new timing belt and possibly repowder coating the intake, vc's and valley cover.

i am rookie when it comes to porting, but i feel confident that i could clean up and polish the intake and exhaust manifold runners, but should i do the same on the head ports and combustion chambers or should i leave that alone untill i got the cash for wallace?

i havent seen the pistons and cylinders yet but i am hoping that since the head gasket blew, the lower end was fine when the gasket blew (stg1 cal and the usual mods)

 

[Turbo224]

well the new 91 r/t i recenty bought didnt start when i bought it and now i know why. compression test showed 0-30-30-0 and the radiator was empty. no fluids mixed.
so i spent a hour or so getting ready to get the head off, now i'm down to unbolting the exhaust manifold and pulling the head bolts.
it already has a mls or copper head gasket on it now, which leads me to believe it was overheated and warped. (what do you think?)
i already have all new gaskets and head bolts, i am on a budget right now so i cant splurge on the upgrades i want.

i am wondering what advice/tips you guys have that i should do while its off, i planned on redoing the vacuum lines, cleaning everything i can, throwing on a new timing belt and possibly repowder coating the intake, vc's and valley cover.

i am rookie when it comes to porting, but i feel confident that i could clean up and polish the intake and exhaust manifold runners, but should i do the same on the head ports and combustion chambers or should i leave that alone untill i got the cash for wallace?

i havent seen the pistons and cylinders yet but i am hoping that since the head gasket blew, the lower end was fine when the gasket blew (stg1 cal and the usual mods)

Im sure you will get a couple different opinions on this, but if you aleady have a cometic head gasket and money is tight, I would forget the powder coating and buy some arp head studs. I would for sure have the head pressure tested and resurfaced if is isn't perfectly flat. Obviously when a head is off a machine shop will probably tell you it needs valve seal and valve guides. Thats up to you.

As for porting, as long as you have done it before, porting the exhaust manifold and intake is pretty easy and a no brainer. I would leave the head to a profesional though. If you cant help yourself, maybe just a gasket match and smoothing of the casting flash. You REALLY dont want to ruin a head. I have ported quite a bit, and I ported my exhaust manifold when I had the motor apart, but I didn't attempt the head.

 

[bansheenut420]

I agree with tyler. If you have the head resurfaced, make sure they do it to a RA of 30 or better, then sealing will not be a problem on the head. Your deck surface needs to be flat as well. ARPs are almost a must, like Tyler said, I would do the comsetic stuff later if you are on a buget.
Porting your mani's is a good gain, and I wouldnt do a whole lot of stuff port wise to the head if your not sure what to do. Lonewolf is THE BEST for porting, so that will be a wise move once you have the money.
Figure out what head gasket you have, and let us know and we can go from there.
Good luck, and please keep us updated. :thumb:

 

[glht_omni]

yeah i planned on getting the head pressure checked and cut with a ra of 30-50. this head supposedly only has 30k on it, the cam and rocker assemblies look very clean without oil stain or burn. no cracks or welds and has the factorys aluminum replacement core plugs (sunken hex not raised hex)
i'm not sure what head gaskets on there, but i can see that it is steel or copper and not a standard one, there is also a used spare gasket in the trunk, prev. owner siad it was copper? it has a copper color to it so i dont know if it a MLS or actually copper?

i have a new set of head bolts, but i may sell them and upgrade to the studs. i also have 19 new valve seals but i dont have any new guides.
i am taking it to superior engine for the machine work, the owner phil is awesome, he does have some t3 experience. my dad owns 3 pulling tractors, 1 which he dropped $1200 into the straight 6 head to have it ported, polished, huge valves and a 5 angle valve job on, the damn tractor revs and sounds like a built SBC.

i definetly wont be doing any porting as i never have before, i was just debating on cleaning up the flashing and slightly polishing the manifolds and maybe the head, but i will probably leave the head alone so wallace will have a fresh start with it later this year.

 

[bansheenut420]

I am thinking that the copper color could be copper gasket spray. And, atleast with the exhaust mani, I dont think you can really hurt anything porting that like a head. I would say go for it on that. :thumb:

 

[glht_omni]

i'll snap some pics of the spare gasket and the one i pull off of the car.
i just waiting for a friend to come over to pull the head off, i unbolted all 8 studs on the exhaust manifold, but i couldnt seperate it from the head, so i guess i'll just pull it and the turbo with it. i didnt want to pry against the head, and advice?

*also, when i pulled the head bolts, the 2 outer bolts on the exhaust side were rusty and the second from the right on the exhaust side was covered in oil and smelt very burnt before i even got it all the way unthreaded and smelt it to confirm, lol.

the cam lobes and the roller tips look great, but i am hoping the cylinders arent rusty, i'll post back after i get it off and post pics.

 

[navyboy65]

Hey I am in the same boat too. I'm getting ready to do a head gasket myself and want to do somethings while I've got it off. After reading this thread I'm probly going to do some porting! But I had a question about performance cam regrinds, who's doing them, whats available and whats it cost????
Also I was thinking bigger turbo, I have full 2.5 exhaust already and I'm not going turbo extream but what would a TIII S70 do for me???
Later I'll be adding +40's, Adj FPR, cal and 3 bar.
Seth

 

[Turbo224]

*also, when i pulled the head bolts, the 2 outer bolts on the exhaust side were rusty and the second from the right on the exhaust side was covered in oil and smelt very burnt before i even got it all the way unthreaded and smelt it to confirm, lol.

the cam lobes and the roller tips look great, but i am hoping the cylinders arent rusty, i'll post back after i get it off and post pics.

If the head gasket is made up of multiple layers of steel, (ie: you can pull it apart in sheets) then it is a cometic.

Rusty head bolts are common and not a big deal. Every 2.2 head I have ever pulled had both bolts on the rear corners super rusty. Do your best to clean out the threads in all the holes because corrosion will cause faulty torque readings. As for the cylinders being rusty, Ill bet they will be just fine.

I have full 2.5 exhaust already and I'm not going turbo extream but what would a TIII S70 do for me???

An S70 turbo would cost you a lot of money, and increase lag. S70's earn their higher flow numbers by creating excess clearance between the turbine and the housing making it able to flow better on the top end, but also makes it super laggy. For the money an S70 costs, you can buy a 50 trim hybrid and be way better off in the end. Oh yeah, Lonewolf Performance for your cam regrinds!

 

[bansheenut420]

Going to agree with tyler again. The s70 is not really somthing I would ever do again on an RT unless I got one at a total steal. Dont get me wrong, they do move more air than the stocker, but they have lots of lag compared to the stocker. I would honestly say your money would be better spent on a good lonewolf port job on everything (head, intake and exhaust mani's), LoneWolfs cam regrinds, a better cooler (if you dont already have one) and a upgraded cal from fwd with bigger injectors. I would get the +40s even if they are a tad overkill at this point. Save yourself the trouble of getting +20's and then needing to upgrade. If you get the afpr you want, you can turn the fuel pressure down a tad. While you are redoing the head, dont forget about a valve job (3 angle at min) and Ti retainers. They are a must when rebuilding the head IMO.
One other trick will will probably want to concider with either the stock, or if you do decide to go with the s70 is, put a spring on your wastegate arm to help hold it closed once you do go above 14psi. It made all the difference in the world on mine.
Keep us updated! :thumb:

 

[glht_omni]

well i got it off.
the head gasket looks fine so i am assuming it overheated and warped the head (dont have a straight edge here). the radiator was empty but there was some coolant that drained out when i undid the coolant feed line. there is a huge gob of jb weld on the radiator end cap (see pics) i think it may have been leaking from there.

the gasket was a mp gasket, the spare i have is not a mls, it is solid copper, i dont know if it is a shim or an older availble gasket? (see pics)

if i get use a mls do i need to get the block deck surfaced to ra 50 also or is it fine with the factory finish?

copper gasket/shim?

gasket that came off the car

 

[glht_omni]

the cyliner walls and pistons are great, all 4 cylinders have good cross hatches in them and no lip at the top of the bore, previous owner said the bottom end and the top end was done about 60k ago, the outside of the block is clean and the paint on it is good.

not too much to clean up here, just a good wipe down, polish and wax.

 

[glht_omni]

the radiator repair and probably the cause of the overheating

 

[glht_omni]

the cams and roller tips look pretty good, no scratches

combustion chambers and valves look good

 

[glht_omni]

original head, not a dunn. no cracks and has the factory service aluminum plugs in it.

has "3557" etched in it?

you can tell it has had the head bolted on 3 times from the head bolt washer indents in the aluminum.

 

[navyboy65]

One other trick will will probably want to concider with either the stock, or if you do decide to go with the s70 is, put a spring on your wastegate arm to help hold it closed once you do go above 14psi. It made all the difference in the world on mine.
Keep us updated! :thumb:

Still getting my parts togeather before I pull the head but I was wondering if you had pics of your wastegate spring mod you mentioned!!! As it definintly sounds like something I would want to do!
Seth

 

[bansheenut420]

I dont have any pics now. But I will get some for ya tomorrow when its light.

 

[mopar2ya]

best 2.00 you will spend...

 

[wasp]

I recently had a thread about a rod knock, decided to pull the engine. so far I got the head off and I think I have the same gasket as you. two thin layers sandwiching a thicker layer with no numbers or identifying marks. Is that a cometic?

also, i think i'm buying T2 rods from you navyboy (on the other forums?). I'll probably have the tranny dropped this evening and *maybe* have the block pulled but i doubt the g/f will give me that much time ;-p

 

[glht_omni]

no, its a copper shim for making up the difference for a badly shaved head. the cometic has different layers (5 i think) and its a clean steel color, not copper. fwdperformance sells the shims also.

 

[navyboy65]

I dont have any pics now. But I will get some for ya tomorrow when its light.

Hey just checkin in to see if you ever got those pics of your waste gate spring mod!
Thanks, Seth