I need to replace the head gasket on my car, and I am looking for some advice before I start. I have a shop manual, and already did the fuel pump (without cutting! ) so I am used to pain. Are there any tips to save time or steps in this job. Are the TPIS head gaskets, the ones that are thinner, a good way to go? I would like a little more power while I am there. Any suggestions to make it easier will be appreciated. I will probably post about 50 times before it is done....

 

take pics of the accessory brackets! those took me a few hours trying to figure out how they went. be carefull with any torx bolt. lable the bolts, and keep them in a ziplock bag. and take your time! it took me about 3 days and i had never touched a chevy (or piston engine for that matter)before.

 

Good advice ^.
It helps to mark all leads\wires with either coloured tape, or some quick drying paint, and to where they fasten.
On some modern cars its worth taking a pic with a digital camera!!
Its amazing, how much seemed so easy to remember when you started, but just leave it for longer than anticipated, and boom, you forget.
Disconnect the battery being pretty obvious, petrol fires are unpleasant.

 

that reminds me, take the cap off the gas tank and leave it off. if you have it on there when the car heats up gas will start shooting out of the fuel lines. i found that out one day.

 

How about head gasket suggestion? Thanks for the above ideas, I know they will help!

 

absolutely make sure you use a tap on the block to clean the threads and make sure you at least clean the threads on the bolts if not replace place them. Then be sure to use sealant.

 

The project has begun, I have gotten intake off and almost one head except for power steering pump. I have been working slowly and carefully, but today I stripped the torx bolt above the air pump. How in the heck am I going to get that bolt out? It seems so stuck in there...

 

Depending on how easy it is to get to the head of the bolt i usually can get away with using a chisel or punch to break it loose.

My crappy little paint drawing if i confused you...

 

i think i can get in there and try that, does that bolt go all the way to the block or does it just hold the air pump?

also if everything looks good is it ok to reuse pushrods, rockers, and springs, (not headbolts, I know)

I plan on getting the head tanked and checked for cracks

 

If the stuff is in good shape (no abnormal wear patterns, etc.) you can reuse it. However, think about replacing the valve springs and stem seals as springs can tire and the seals might need replacing anyway. You said you were tanking the heads anyway so I figure you were probably going to replace them.
Keep in mind that if there is a difference in the head gasket thickness (of whichever ones you choose), this might have a slight effect on the required pushrod length. But, if the engine isn't an all-out race engine, it probably won't matter.

Keep a good supply of shop towels on hand. You'll probably need them. Keep your coolant bucket nearby also because at every major stage of removal, coolant wants to make its way out. This can be managed by using one or both of the block drains along with purging the radiator. The block drains are just above the oil pan rails on each side. The knock sensor goes in one of them.

I'm using Mr. Gasket Ultra-Seal (p/n 5800) on my 305 as 350 head gaskets are "necessary" with my S/R 305 Torquer heads. It's just one recommendation, not a rule of course.

If I can give one overall recommendation however, it is to definitely beg, borrow, or buy a shop vac for your head swap. It can really get a lot of old, scraped gasket material out of small holes and cylinder bores very well. I kept mine close at hand and it served me quite well. Good luck.

 

I have everything off, how about the lifters? Is there a visual inspection for them or do they normally not need replacement? For the block I have a gasket scraper, but I can still see some pattern from the old gasket. Can I use something like a scotch pad or wire brush to get it really clean?

 

If you have a roller cam block (you've got an '89 so I'll assume you do) you can usually reuse the lifters. Run your thumb over the wheels and feel for binding and look for lost needle bearings. I reused mine and my car has 83,000 original miles. Also, when you reinstall them in the block, don't fill them with oil. This will effect the preload settings when you're resetting it. Just dunk them in oil for a couple of minutes before you reinstall them. That way the bearings in the wheels are well lubed, but you'll still be able to depress the plungers in the lifters themselves. When I finally restarted my engine, there was a clacking sound for maybe 5-10 seconds and then it disappeared....telling me that the lifter cavities filled up, and the preload was set.

As for the pattern on the block deck surface, I just went at it with a scraper and a whole bunch of gasket remover. At the point where I really couldn't get any more off, I used 400 grit emery cloth to do the final finish. Keep in mind, however, that I went at the block for quite a period of time with the scraper just to make sure that I got everything I possibly could. There were the remains of that last "shadow" pattern that you are seeing, but it was very light. My eyes were very useful, and my hands were like a second set of eyes!! Run your hand over the surface and see where the residual gasket material remains. You'd be surprised how useful this technique can be. The emery cloth was the very last thing I used, and I didn't go nuts with it. I hope this helps.