Anyone successful in removing the cyl. heads from a AC equipted C3 with the engine in car?

TIA

NJ BB Ken

Hello Ken,

I have a 1968 Big Block and I have removed my heads while the engine was in the car before.  It is a tough job to do even without air-conditioning.  My car is a non-air car but the hard parts are probably just the same on your car. 

First removing the hood might make your life easier and potentially save you from disaster.  The hood comes off easily, just mark where it was when you take it off so it goes on easily.

Be sure to start by turning the engine over untill #1 cylinder is at its Top Dead Center.

Have a shop vac handy with lots of suction and a small tip to concentrate the pulling power to help clean up the junk that falls everywhere while you remove the intake manifold.

Drain the coolant and dispose of properly.  Remove the carb and seal off fuel lines.  Remove the distributor, wires, spark plugs, headers, exhaust system and so on....

The drivers side cylinder head was the worst to remove because of the power brake booster, I assume that you have power brakes since you have air conditioning (you lucky guy you!!).  I removed my master cylinder and tied the lines out of the way then I removed the booster itself, it seems like a potential nightmare but a couple of extensions and u-joints with some 1/4 inch sockets will do just fine.  Without the brake parts the head came off with room to spare but it is still snug.  Some people might be able to do it without the brake system removal but I found it much easier to work on without those parts in the way.  Besides then you can install a new master cylinder (if needed) and repaint the booster if it is in good shape.  I sand blasted all the parts and powder coated or painted the appropriate parts before head re-installation.

These heads (if yours are stock cast iron) are H-E-A-V-Y  and any drop or slip will leave a mark--trust me.  If they hit the floor they might crack big time, if they hit your foot you will definately be visiting a local Doctor.

If you have access to a garage with a sturdy roof structure like I do you might use an electric winch to do the lifting for you.  If not get an engine hoist and use that, getting two guys into position to pull the head up and out is difficult. It can be done but you better be close friends.

Keeping the area clean and keeping junk from getting into the cylinders is tough.    I wipe the cylinders down with good clean oil, put a clean rag in the cylinder and then put saran wrap over the cylinder block immediatly.

Also before you get started make sure that you have a place to put the parts if you are going to re-use like the pushrods, lifters, rocker arms and such.  They have got to be re-installed in their exact location or more trouble will follow you around.  I used a cardboard box with holes for the pushrods and put each set of parts into a freezer bag marked with a permanent marker.  Bags are great and they can save your butt on occasion.

The job will take lots of hours and with the right tools it is not too bad.  I have done it on two different Corvettes and have had no trouble except for the one time I left out a head bolt on the drivers side and I saw coolant leaking out while filling the radiator.

Replace your head bolts while doing this work, ARP bolts are good/cheap insurance.. and then be sure to seal the specific bolts that go into the water jacket so you don't have any coolant leaks. Follow ARP's instructions on lubrication and torqueing.  Actually installing the heads should be done with the lift or hoist of some sort as well.  Be carefull that the round hollow guides are in their appropriate places before you put the head down permantely. I have seen many machine shops not re-install the guide pins.  This is important.

Buy the best head gaskets, never skimp on things like this.  I have always bought quality stuff from Summit or Jegs and been very happy.

My Big Block heads were the worst I have ever tried to change in a car.  It is a serious project and requires a extensive collection of tools to make it less of a a pain.  On my 1968 roadsterI am running 12.25 to 1 compression ratio and after 3000 miles on a new 10k engine I removed them to be sure that I was not having any piston to valve contact as my pistons stick roughly 3/4" out of the cylinder.  I went a bit over when re-installing by matching all the gaskets to the manifold and heads whlie I was putting my engines top end back on, every little bit makes it more fun to drive....

I hope that I have not said too much, if you have any other questions please feel free to get back with me.  I am at ctmc@erols.com and would be happy to help in any way I can either through the forum or whatever.

Enjoy the "Force"!

Good luck!

Christopher T McCloskey