The Ford Barn

alexiskai · 12-23-2020, 11:02 AM

Over the holidays I'm going to put the new Winfield head on and I was thinking it might be good to make a video walkthrough. Installing a new HC head on a block with the engine in the car is a fairly common task and something a lot of new owners might be contemplating.

I looked at the YouTube videos that cover head installation and they're not great, a lot of "personal choices" that some might quibble with, plus they tend to skip a lot of important checklist items.

So with that in mind, what topics should a "new head installation" video cover?

Things I am NOT going to cover:

Getting the old head and gasket off
Decking the block
Why you would do this, or which HC head to use

Things I AM going to cover:

Cleaning the block surface without scratching it
Checking for warpage, cylinder/valve damage before you proceed
Cleaning the stud bores with a chaser and air
Checking stud bores for holes into the water jacket
Cleaning the head and block with solvent before installation
Under what circumstances you would apply spray copper sealant to the head gasket (source: Yapp)
The 8, 11, and 13 studs and why they're special
The ignition cable clamp and what to do if you don't have one (source: Endy)
What to put on the studs before you install them (source: Fallucca/AER)
How to install the studs (source: Fallucca/AER)
Installing the gasket and head
Checking the water neck for flatness
Installing the water neck with Permatex silicone gasket
Don't forget to put that clamp on the #8 stud!
Initial torque sequence (source: Yapp)
Gasket break-in and re-torquing procedure (source: Yapp)

Anything else I should draw attention to as I go?

12-23-2020, 11:02 AM	#1
alexiskai Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Mebane NC Posts: 2,848	Topics one should cover in a "new head" walkthrough video Over the holidays I'm going to put the new Winfield head on and I was thinking it might be good to make a video walkthrough. Installing a new HC head on a block with the engine in the car is a fairly common task and something a lot of new owners might be contemplating. I looked at the YouTube videos that cover head installation and they're not great, a lot of "personal choices" that some might quibble with, plus they tend to skip a lot of important checklist items. So with that in mind, what topics should a "new head installation" video cover? Things I am NOT going to cover: Getting the old head and gasket off Decking the block Why you would do this, or which HC head to use Things I AM going to cover: Cleaning the block surface without scratching it Checking for warpage, cylinder/valve damage before you proceed Cleaning the stud bores with a chaser and air Checking stud bores for holes into the water jacket Cleaning the head and block with solvent before installation Under what circumstances you would apply spray copper sealant to the head gasket (source: Yapp) The 8, 11, and 13 studs and why they're special The ignition cable clamp and what to do if you don't have one (source: Endy) What to put on the studs before you install them (source: Fallucca/AER) How to install the studs (source: Fallucca/AER) Installing the gasket and head Checking the water neck for flatness Installing the water neck with Permatex silicone gasket Don't forget to put that clamp on the #8 stud! Initial torque sequence (source: Yapp) Gasket break-in and re-torquing procedure (source: Yapp) Anything else I should draw attention to as I go?