I am replacing my head gaskets... What a PITA.. Ok, to the question:
Around the head where the problem was, there is a lot of baked on gasket material that I can't get off... I tried a fresh sharp razor blade and tried to shave it off, but I can't get it all.. Any suggestions..

Thanks

 

Emery cloth.

Stuff wet paper towels or something down into the cyls, to catch any abrasive debris; or have somebody hold a REALLY STRONG shop-vac right over your work area as you do it. You don't want that in your motor.

 

I use a carbide scraper, works really good..

 

Anybody that's has worked in a shop or has buddies will tell you ROLOC disc's. There is NOTHING that works any better than these babies period. I have seen you can go to Menards and they have the adapter you can chuck up in a drill if you dont have a right angle die grinder. It is basically a 2" rubber pad that has a female threaded area in the center. These roloc discs come in 2" diameters and just twist right into the rubber pad. You can get the roloc dics in emery cloth of different grits and also grinding pad-which the menards kit comes with, but dont use the grinding discs to remove the gasket material, use the emery pads only. Goto any auto parts store that worth a darn and they will have these roloc disc. We've always used the red ones, cant remember the grit off hand, but it's plenty to take off any silicone/gasket material on any part. Then you'll find all kinds o uses for these bad boys.

I buy them by the box, think there's 25 for $30, and they last quite a while if your not shredding them off on sharp near by surfaces.

 

Well, happened to have a box I aint took to the shop yet, here's what they look like.

 

and the discs themselves, hard to see the screw part on the backside of the one, damnn kid musta got her greasy hand s on the camera again

 

we use those at work. i agree ...they are an excellant way to remove the material. but they burn out quick at least when i use them

 

Ok, so how do you keep all the crap from going in all the little holes if you are using those discs??

 

LMAO, I find that quite common in our shop too, except I'm not using the stuff. Somehow I got through drill bits left and right, grinding wheels and discs, rolocs, sand paper, brake clean, spray lube, spray paint, welding wire, welding gas, oxy/acetelyne, parts washer fluid.....I have'nt had my car in there since last winter???!!! Cant wait to get my new personal place built!! It always makes it nice when everybody uses this stuff like it's free and never offers to kick anything your way. Gonna laugh when I get all my stuff back home, heck i might just save money

 

Rags, towels, tape...whatever it takes, aka improvising/common sence

 

put a rag on it or tape it off. thats wut i do. after im done getting the gasket off i usually clean off the pistons too. just make sure its at TDC because then u dont get stuff in the cylinder

 

i use a cup wire brush in a die grinder

 

ROLOC!!!! I was about to scream it when i saw someone else alraedy did. stuff wet towels (shop towels on a roll work great) down the cylinders, and then pull then back out when you're done. check for debris, and bob's your uncle

 

thoes little pads that everyone mentioned... thats the best way....


if you goto any good autoparts store, hanging up will be a lil pack that has the holder and 3 or 4 discs..... thats everything you need.


theres also a plastic fingered pad that i sometimes use to get it off... works just as well, and lasts a lil longer... i donno the name of them though.

 

Stuffing things in the piston when cleaning off the desk is all well and good, but I was referring to all the LITTLE holes in the block, you know for radiator and oil... I am using qtips with sop towels on the end.

 

Tape a piece of newspaper or something across the lifter valley with duct tape.

There are no oil holes.

The coolant holes don't really matter if a little debris gets in there.

 

well, theres one

but it SHOULD have a plug in it before you even consider putting the heads on.

 

I saw somebody start a new motor once, after they'd built it and put it in a car, without that plug.... motor cranked right up the first time he hit the key.... you would not believe how much oil can come out of a hole that small in the time it takes to realize what's happening, and shut the motor off.

Then they had to tear off that head to put that stupid plug in there. It was kind of funny, in a sick and twisted sort of way.

 

Haha one of my know-it-all, doesn't need anyones advice, self proclaimed master mechanic friends did the same thing.. it was priceless. When I asked if he put the plug in before putting the heads on he gave me a dumb dog look and said what plug.. sick and twisted RB? maybe.. priceless.. defently.

 

it's right up there with one of my know-it-all buddies claiming a brake line was plugged up. he was bleeding it, and nothing came out. I asked him "there's fluid in the resevoir, right?" "of course there is!" he says. I just smiled as i poured in a half pint and then chucked the bottle & hit him in the head.