Head Stuck to Engine Block - Help!
 

Hello,

I'm in the process of breaking down my '64 389 engine out of the '64 Grand Prix I'm restoring. The car sat for years and years in a dirt lot before I brought it a few years ago. I'm breaking the engine down so I can take the block to the machine shop, and the heads to get done as well.

The passenger side head (original iron heads) came off the block easily. I ended up breaking one of the head bolts near where the exhaust manifolds bolt on in the driver's side head. The engine looks to be in pretty good shape, but pretty much every freeze plug in the engine and the heads was either rusted almost through or had some kind of repair to the plug. The driver's side head even had some sort of epoxy or putty slathered over one of the freeze plugs as a repair! I think rust has gotten the better of parts of the head, and I can't get the driver's side head off the block. I use a pry bar in the exhaust port (outside of the head where the exhaust manifold would go) and carefully pried the head up, and got most of the head loose, but the head is stuck to the block near where the bolt was broken. I also used a thin scraper and worked it back and forth along the gasket between the head and the block trying to break any seal the old gasket and corrosion may have. I can get the scraper back and forth along the whole head now, except maybe a half inch or so either side near where the broken bolt is located. I have whacked the pry bar with a small and large hammers, while pressing up on pry bar inside the exhaust port on the head, used my scrapers to try to free the head from the gasket and the block, and sprayed everything (including the broken bolt) liberally with PB Blaster. I can't lift the part of the head near that broken bolt though, so I can't separate the head from the block.

My question is does anyone encountered a head this stuck on/rusted to the block before, and broken a head bolt in the block? Is what I'm doing to try to free the head from the block the right idea? Is there anything else that I should be trying? I have the get the head off somehow, and I'm out of ideas and getting frustrated.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Count the removed head bolts one more time. There should be 20, 10 per side. If they are all out then continue to pry and tap on the head. Maybe the locating dowel is stuck.

Yep you might have missed one.

Hi guys...thank you for the replies. Unfortunately, I have removed all of the bolts from the head (10 per head). The only bolt still in th stuck head is the rusted, broken one. :(

If you have an air compressor, set it for the highest pressure (120-140psi) and insert a blow nozzle into one of the center spark plug bosses. The air pressure SHOULD help loosen the head.

If you can get plugs in and have a working starter, if the crank still turns, cranking the starter with plugs in, all push rods removed might 'pop' the head loose.

I would spray pb blaster down aroud the broken bolt, there may be rust and crud, and the shoulder of the bolt may be binding. Also I have been in a hurry before and had accessory belts left on ( ie alternator ) ??

Thanks for all the replies! I sprayed a bunch of pb blaster down the hole already. I'm going to keep doing that so hopefully that will help. I didn't mention this, but 're engine is out of the car and is almost completely disassembled on a engine stand so there's no accessories or really anything else on the engine. I'll try your suggestions and see what works.

How much of the broken head bolt is sticking up inside the bolt hole in the head?

You lever the head cock-eyed on that bolt shank, the head is never coming up.

I'd jam a similar pry-bar into an intake port, and lift the head STRAIGHT up, and see what happens.

X2 on the pry-bar,breaker bar in the intake port.That is how I have loosened up stuck cylinder heads.

X3

I have removed a LOT of stuck heads with a simple 3 foot length of cast iron pipe in a intake port.
Insert the Pipe well into the intake port and give the pipe a sharp upward stroke and 99% of the time the head comes off the dowels on the block first time. ALSO INSERT A HEAD BOLT IN ONE HOLE IN THE BLOCK TO KEEP THE HEAD ON THE BLOCK VS THE FLOOR (ENGINE STAND) OR SHEET METAL (CAR).

Tom V.

You are right...I can see why the head would not come up. The bolt broke off about a 1/2" to 1" below the top of the head, so most of it is still rusted and stuck in the head/block. I'll try again prying the head by using the intake port closest to the broken bolt. I had tried that before, but wasn't able to free the head.

Pry typically does not work, a sharp thump with a similar metal deal like a cast iron pipe hitting cast iron hurts nothing.

Tom V.

Dead blow hammer?

Cherry picker with chain across both sides of head. Lift it up, let gravity do its thing. Worked for me last time I had a furiously stuck cylinder head.

Get the broken bolt red hot with a torch. That should break any rust loose.

Then jap with cold water-The expansion and sudden cooling(contraction) will break the rust loose.

What he said. Don't throw cold water on it just keep getting it cherry red, let it cool down, and then try to remove the head. If the head won't come off do the red hot/cool down/try to remove again. After three or four cycles you will probably be able to get it off.

This red hot/cool down thing will also work with the rear screw in oil gallery plugs when you get to that point.

How would you guys heat a bolt cherry-red when it's recessed inside the bolt hole of the head that won't come off?

I sure don't know how I'd accomplish that task.

Point / aim the flame down the hole so it hits what's left of the bolt. The head will sink a lot of heat, but it ok if the head get hot in the process.