Thanks for checking on my progress.
I have 1 side assembled and the other side disassembled. The second side had started a mild leak; you could see the exhaust marks on the head on the outside of the gasket, but the gasket was in much better shape than the first side. I have a couple of pictures on the camera of the 2nd head, but they are not very good. I am glad I decided to go for both sides. While removing the head nuts on the 2nd head, I noticed the same as on the first head...1 bolt was not nearly as tight as the other 3. It happened that the easy bolt was the first one I loosened on the 2nd head. On the first head, it was either the 3rd or 4th bolt that I loosened that was not as tight as the others, but it may have been the same nut on each side that was the loosest one. The one in question was on the exhaust side, which is the side that fails.
I spent way too much time on the first head. First I used a large flat fine file on the gasket surface to ensure it was flat, and it wasn't. It was low where the gasket leaked and on the other side. As I ran the file across the head, a piece of aluminum would be picked up from the edge and would gouge the gasket surface. Then I put some 220-grit paper on the file for a while, then I had the idea to put the paper on a cabinet door and rub the head on it in circles. That worked much better and I could see how uneven the surface was from the file, but now in the other direction than when I started. I was able to make it flat and put it together.
It was difficult to hold the rocker arms while torquing the bolt, but I figured it out. I also had to remove the lifters to bleed them down with my drill press, so that took some time. Then I had to figure out how to lift the rocker over the pushrod, but I figured out how to get that done. It is very strange that the rocker arms have oil holes in the pushrod pocket, but the pushrods are solid. I am not quite sure how they are lubricated.
The second side is just disassembled. I don't have any time in the evenings, so it just gets worked on, on the weekend afternoons. I should have it together this weekend.
The good news is that after assembling the head, it passed my brakecleaner test; the valves did not leak. Also, a dry compression check on the first side was back to 180 lbs, like the second side was before I took it apart.
I have 1 side assembled and the other side disassembled. The second side had started a mild leak; you could see the exhaust marks on the head on the outside of the gasket, but the gasket was in much better shape than the first side. I have a couple of pictures on the camera of the 2nd head, but they are not very good. I am glad I decided to go for both sides. While removing the head nuts on the 2nd head, I noticed the same as on the first head...1 bolt was not nearly as tight as the other 3. It happened that the easy bolt was the first one I loosened on the 2nd head. On the first head, it was either the 3rd or 4th bolt that I loosened that was not as tight as the others, but it may have been the same nut on each side that was the loosest one. The one in question was on the exhaust side, which is the side that fails.
I spent way too much time on the first head. First I used a large flat fine file on the gasket surface to ensure it was flat, and it wasn't. It was low where the gasket leaked and on the other side. As I ran the file across the head, a piece of aluminum would be picked up from the edge and would gouge the gasket surface. Then I put some 220-grit paper on the file for a while, then I had the idea to put the paper on a cabinet door and rub the head on it in circles. That worked much better and I could see how uneven the surface was from the file, but now in the other direction than when I started. I was able to make it flat and put it together.
It was difficult to hold the rocker arms while torquing the bolt, but I figured it out. I also had to remove the lifters to bleed them down with my drill press, so that took some time. Then I had to figure out how to lift the rocker over the pushrod, but I figured out how to get that done. It is very strange that the rocker arms have oil holes in the pushrod pocket, but the pushrods are solid. I am not quite sure how they are lubricated.
The second side is just disassembled. I don't have any time in the evenings, so it just gets worked on, on the weekend afternoons. I should have it together this weekend.
The good news is that after assembling the head, it passed my brakecleaner test; the valves did not leak. Also, a dry compression check on the first side was back to 180 lbs, like the second side was before I took it apart.