DAMMIT!!! AArrrgghhh! (vent)

[808DA6]

Ever think something is going too well only to find that IT IS! So I finally settle down to my rebuild. The block is prep'd as well as the head. Cam towers snugged down. Bolt the head down and torque it. Cam moves quite nicely. Go to torque the cam towers and FRIKKIN CRAP! A few start getting easier to turn. I back them all out only to find two of them are bring up thread. So I pull everything off and inspect the holes. Helicoil strikes again! Whoever last built this head stripped out the tower mounts and did a shitty job helicoiling the shit back together. I never thought to check this before investing $xxx on the machining of this thing. DOH!!! I only hope they can be re-helicoiled and hold torque. Would've been a nice head.

 

Should I even continue? I'm ready to count my losses and look for an SR.

 

SH!!!!!!T

 

~Brian

[DISLEXICDIME]

O MAN THAT SUCKS Don"t give up your already this far

[yello620]

Which holes are heli-coiled? The little 8mm holes for the cam towers? I dont really think those do much after the head bolts are torqued down. They do hold the cam towers when pulling the head though. So the valve lash would need released before removing the head, and you could run without those bolts?

Am i all wrong on this?

 

Jason

[808DA6]

Hmmm. Interesting. The ones that are stripped are the short ones that are next to the head bolts. Maybe I can get away w/ it. Has anyone done it? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?

 

~Brian

[yello620]

One of mine is stripped. Been that way for about 30k now. I dont have any sort of a performance motor either though, just a stocker with a weber. Dont think that it should make a difference, but a motor with lots of money in the bottom end would suck too loose if something went wrong on the top end.

 

Jason

[datzenmike]

What about drilling the holes out and re-tapping to the next size larger. Do to my own fault I torqued flywheel bolts into rusty hole?. They weren't all the way down and all of them snapped off after about a year. (I used the starter to turn the tranny over and move the truck about 3 blocks to get it off the road) The only solution was to drill out the broken bolts and drill and tap for some grade 8 non metric bolts. Worked like a charm!

[808DA6]

Think I'll try it. As long as the longer bolts torque, it should be fine. I'm thinking I should leave the short bolts out all together. They'd cause more havoc it one backed out and started partying w/ the valve train.

 

~B

[808DA6]

What about drilling the holes out and re-tapping to the next size larger. Do to my own fault I torqued flywheel bolts into rusty hole?. They weren't all the way down and all of them snapped off after about a year. (I used the starter to turn the tranny over and move the truck about 3 blocks to get it off the road) The only solution was to drill out the broken bolts and drill and tap for some grade 8 non metric bolts. Worked like a charm!

 

My prob is that the tower guides that center them onto the block don't look like they'd accept a larger bolt.

 

~B

[yello620]

Cant remember if i left the bolt out completely or not. Just remember to de-adjust the valve lash if you ever have to remove the head again. Should not be a big deal. That would make a hella good noise if that bolt did start to party with the valve train. We will let somebody else try that one.

[SHADY280]

i had to helicoil some of mine as well. the only diff is that i did it really nice and they didnt come out like that. if you just had work done at the machine shop, did they helicoil them? cause usually they dont fail.. or can you put new helicoils back in, and remeber to break the little tab off, some ppl forget this step. the ones with the head bolt thru, i woulnt even put a bolt in those holes, but if its one of the ones without the head bolt, or the other side, then your screwed

[tnip]

maybe a picture or two might help?

[fiveoneohray]

The FSM (factory service manual) tells you to NEVER take the cam towers off the head. There is a tool to take out the rockers and lash pads so the cam can be slid out through the front cam tower.

I did it once the way you did and ended up with a stripped bolt but it was not the short ones for me. I helicoiled the hole and it was fine.

Now I only take the heads apart the factory way. With the tool it only takes 5mins longer 20mins longer if you use a big screwdriver.

Yeah and I understand that many people have taken the cam towers off but the factory says not to so I dont.

[banzai510(hainz)]

Use the threaded steel inserts(Keen Sert) if the heli coils are pulled out(another machine shop operation).it was mentioned on the DVD if you have it.

The outer will be coarse thread into the aluminum then the inside will be your stock 8mm 1.25 thread (if they have or make them in this metric size) then pound the locks into the thread and it will not go anywhere and is indestructable

 

those bolts only reguire like 10/13 pounds torque to tighen up.REMEMBER THIS

 

yes Ray says not to remove the towers but some machine shops still remove even if you tell them not to remove them!!!!!!!! I know !!!!! But mine came out ok

 

 

keensert

http://www.newmantools.com/kee.htm

[808DA6]

Hainz: Much mahalos! They have the 8x1.25 inserts. I may be contacting them this weekend. Lets see is the long ones will hold torque. Funny. That freakin "How-To Rebuild" book says the cam bearings are torqued to 25-33lbs.. No wonder they friggin strip.

 

THANK YOU!!!

 

~Brian

[banzai510(hainz)]

my 521 head I had done ,the ca tower threads striped out also. 2 of them.

The guy helicoiled them up and I just put it to 10 pounds torque and called it good

Cam was a little hard to turn with my hand on the cam sprocket but figured it would wear in(i oiled it up)

a perfect set up is you can just use your fingers to rotate the cam.

 

 

Any bolts that go into aluminum will NEVER be that much torque, This happens to alot to USA made V8 mechanics. They over torque the bolts stripping out the aluminum

[datzenmike]

my 521 head I had done ,the ca tower threads striped out also. 2 of them.

The guy helicoiled them up and I just put it to 10 pounds torque and called it good

Cam was a little hard to turn with my hand on the cam sprocket but figured it would wear in(i oiled it up)

a perfect set up is you can just use your fingers to rotate the cam.

 

 

Any bolts that go into aluminum will NEVER be that much torque, This happens to alot to USA made V8 mechanics. They over torque the bolts stripping out the aluminum

 

Aluminum expands more too when heated. Over torqued a VW and pulled the studs right out when it heated up.