ET,

You might research and consider - while heads are off, drop pan, un-bolt pistons, push out with broom handle stick - do ring job. There have also been posts about re-placing crank bearings "in situ". Just a thought. Hey, how about some more pix?

 

Thanks Charlie I'll look into those things too.

I haven't got much done on the disco this weekend. I spent a lot of it cleaning the garage so I'd have a better work space (it'll pay off), and helping my sister fix her car (successfully).

More pix soon

 

Rocker assembly, push rods, tappets, and POS bumper removed. Some tappets were very smooth looking, some had very small pits across the surface. I have never seen such a dirty gunky underbody. I was covered with black crud just from taking the bumper off. Can't wait to blast this thing at the DIY wash when it's running again.

 

That stuff on the valve springs that looks like crushed corn flakes soaked in old oil - you have the "sludge-o-matic" option. Physically remove what you can (plastic spoon, shop vac, compressed air, oil galley passages to oil pan can be clogged as well, rod out, some have used a cheap gun cleaning kit from Wal Mart sporting goods to have very small brushes that fit down through openings. Can be scrubbed away wth plastic brush.

Looking good so far.

 

I was going to let the machine shop clean the head and stick small parts in a can of part cleaner with some scrubbing if needed.

I already mentioned I plan on replacing the whole rocker shaft assembly, rods, and tappets. They'll be nice and clean of course. Would it be wise to replace the valve springs and/or valves too? Or do they generally last nearly forever?

Also how the **** is this bolt supposed to be removed so I can get the power steering pump off the head? It's right next to a small nut so an open wrench doesn't have room to rotate around, and it's nearly flush against that surface so a closed wrench or socket won't fit either. It looks like there's a PITA one on the bottom too.

 

How about a box end wrench, especially the HArbor Freight kind that seem to be a little thinner? Or a socket on one of those wobble adapters (kinda like a minature U-joint?

Shop will probably clean the valves up for you as well, and will advise if you need any replaced.

The more you improve the top end, the more likely something will go wrong in the bottom end with all the increased power (and your right foot's magnetic attraction a.k.a. pedal-2-da-metal).

 

With the amount of sludge in the head i'd say the previous owner(s) stretched the service intervals waaaay too long. While the heads are away pull the oil pan and check the oil pump pickup. I would wager that it's probably pretty crudded up. If the pan and pickup arent in a happy state i would seriously consider checking the oil pump clearances as well as pulling the con rod and main bearing caps to have a look at the journals. No need to pull them all at once, just do it one at a time and look for wear. Put a little assembly lube on the journals and re-torque all the fasteners to spec if things look ok.

 

Socket won't even fit by itself. Too close to wall and nut. Box end wrench is even worse. I must be missing something. Maybe the pump has to come apart before being removed but RAVE says it's first. I'll have to look again.

So I need to give the shop the heads and valves, OK. The springs too? Assembled as is, or disassembled as separate parts? I don't have a valve spring compressor anyways.

Which parts do I need to replace to make the bottom handle the power? Or is the block itself weak from being old?

 

If it were mine I'd take the heads completely assembled to the machine shop and let them go through them. They'll take them apart, hot tank everything and reassembe them for a little bit of dough. Maybe have them put in new valve guides but I'd leave the valvetrain alone if it's fine now. If you do insist on rebuilding the heads, put a new cam in while you're at it as the old one is not going to like the new stuff above it. Having it that far apart would make me at least want to put in a new timing set, oil pump, water pump and piston rings simply because they are cheap and much easier to do for you since the heads are already off anyway. It would suck to put all that time in the top half only to have it cough up a ring in two weeks.

As far as the bottom half handling it, the rings and oil pump are the weak points IMO. I'd check the mains and rods while the pan is off but if you dont see significant wear I'd leave them alone.

About that power steering pump, I've never done one but some say it is the same as the GM pumps. If it mounts the same way as the GM pumps, the pulley comes off, then the pump comes off, then the bracket can be removed.

 

All good ideas. End result is grease, confidence, and a more reliable truck. Yes, take heads as is to shop. They will come back looking brand new.

Looked at bolt again, perhaps a shorter open end, and you may have to leverage it or hammer it at a 90 degree angle with something else. They also make a "crow foot" open end wrench that is hyper stubby, and connects like a socket wrench.

Some how a person put that in place on the assembly line in less than a minute.