Driving along and forgot to turn on my electric fan...car was at 250 when I shut it off and steam from under the hood and a small trail of antifreeze on the ground. Popped the hood and I have coolant spewing from the from left corner of the head. Just put on the dart Iron Eagles a year ago, so I'm assuming it's the head gasket and not the block/head...So what all do I need to do,

Obviously new gaskets on intake/head, do I need to take the head to a machine shop and get it flattened out again? Can I do one head on the side of the engine or do I need to do both? Also, I put new ARP head bolts on it, do I need to replace these they have less then a year or so and probably less then 15k Miles

Thanks for all the help

 

Take off both heads. Check the block as well.

SBC head bolts are not torque-to-yield, so they can be reused. Just chase the threads and use Teflon paste when you reassemble.

 

Should I take them both to a machine shop as well before torquing them back on?

 

Both heads, or both the heads and block?

 

I would set my torque wrench 10 over spec and go over the head again

before you say this will never work

I can produce witnesses

 

this works sometimes depends on how much damage is done. I have also tryed this just to see if it would hold me a couple of weeks till nicer weather.

 

just the heads...I dont think Ill torque em more, it was leaking quite a bit of coolant when I got home

 

yeah you are prob right

maybe you can try something that I never do but mean to

retorque the heads

 

Spewing from between the head and the block or between the head and the intake manifold?
Iron heads are hard to warp. Aluminum intake manifolds are much easier.

 

it was between the block and the head, but I might have some good news...I was about to tear into it and notice a large chunk of my water pump gasket was sticking out of the pump....changed those out last night and gonna start it today and see if it worked

 

Did it work?

 

thats a good skill to have

lookin around

 

I think so....wasn't leaking coolant last night, but I'm gonna take it out today and put some miles on it just to be sure

and for the looking around skill...I'm damn glad I did