Head gasket

Well, after the broken water pump a few years back and the broken heather hose last year, my head gasket(s) finally gave in. Lucky enough, due to the overpressure, I also had a "burst" radiator.
Starting tomorrow, i'm going to pull the heads and replace the gaskets. (and replace the stat and radiator cap) New radiator is already there, and with a little luck and some spare time from the job, our 181K Caprice will run next Friday. Keep you posted.
Pete

Put new springs and better rockers on while you're at it. A small investment with a big return.

By better rockers, he means roller rockers. A switch from 1.5 to 1 to 1.6 to 1 would also make it act like it has a higher lift cam.

forget about springs and rockers on an old stock tbi motor,.
keep it stock,
drive it easy
have fun,.
repeat as necessary

TBI heads arent worth upgrading.Replacing,yes.Upgrading,no.

Got the heads off today. There was a blown gasket indeed, but also one of the combustion chambers was black, while the rest was the right color.

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Can't access photobucket for a strange reason, the link will get you there. It's the nr 8 cylinder. Car ran good, a little rough but good power and idle was good.

I would clean it as best you can, check for warping in the head (fix if necessary), and put it back together.

number 8 isn't firing at all,..

I,d check to see if the valves are seating,. put a little diesel around them and see how bad it leaks past them,..

check the lobes on the cam,.

Will do, working on it tonight

Number 8 turned out to be a cracked plug. Cleaned all the mating surfaces yesterday and now waiting for the gaskets to arrive.
Pete

Just one quick question, guys: the local parts shop try's to sell me new head bolts stating that the used bolts are "stretch" bolts which can be used once. I know from a Merc Sable I used to drive (don't try that....) that it uses stretch bolts. Never heard of an old Chevy 350 engine using them.
Any ideas from the group?
Thanks,
Pete

There is no mention of requiring new cylinder head bolts in the FSM. If they were stretch bolts, it would say so. It does state that you have to use sealant on the threads, because they extend into the water jacket. Torque is 68 Lb. ft. Tightening pattern is; start in the center and move clockwise spiraling out.

They are not stretch bolts. You do need sealer.

Thanks again.

Well it's running again. Just returned from the 20 mi test drive, no problems at all.
Pete

Good news. Well done.