7.3 Head Gasket Replacement-ARP Head Stud Install

[tbrumm]

As some of you know, the driver's side hg on my truck was seeping coolant at the rear of the head. Not much of a leak really, but annoying nonetheless. Russ (typ4) suggested trying the Irontite sealer in the blue lettered bottle, and that did seal up the small leak quickly. However, the water pump shaft seal has also started leaking out the weep hole, so now I need to replace the water pump. I know that leak is only going to get worse and the bearing will eventually fail, so I purchased a new Motorcraft PW-454 water pump. Since I am going to have the coolant system drained and the front serp. drive all torn down for the WP replacement anyway, I decided to go further and replace the HG's as well. I have been acquiring parts in advance of the project, but I am still a few weeks out from actually tearing into this, so bear with me. I thought I would begin to document this project as I go and take the opportunity to ask some questions of you guys as well. So, here we go!

I purchased one of these plastic "valve train parts organizers" to make sure I keep the VT parts in the correct order for re-installation. Figured I would put this thing in a big Rubbermaid container to keep the dirt off the oily VT parts. I have done the cardboard/drilled 2x4 thing in the past and wanted something better.

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As Al would say, "in for the penny, in for the pound" so I decided to install heads studs rather than new head bolts, so I placed an order with R&D IDI Performance for the 7.3L ARP head stud kit. R&D has the best price on the studs by far ($435.00 shipped) but does not include the special moly torque lube. I just bought a few packets off of e-Bay.

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I found a NOS OEM Ford "valve grind" gasket set for a good price. This set includes the new Valley Pan, HG's, exhaust manifold gaskets, valve stem seals, cdr grommet/seal, VC gaskets, tube of silicone sealer, etc. The date on the box is 1998 so I assume the HG's are the "latest and greatest" design????

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Obviously, the threaded holes in the block for the head bolts will need to be cleaned in order to install the new studs, so I purchased a couple of tools to do that. I got a set of bore brushes for my cordless drill. I also bought the expensive ARP thread "CHASER". Should be the "right tool for the job" as it is not a TAP. It is supposed to "clean up" the threads and not "CUT" threads like a standard tap would.

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While the heads are off, I am going to do the oil cooler reseal. The tube of the OC on my truck is badly rusted (darn midwest winter salt), so I may need to replace the tube. Once I get it off, I will sand blast and inspect and make the decision then. FarmerFrank sold me a spare tube, so I have that on hand just in case. I bought the OEM Ford header gaskets and o-rings for the reseal.

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The dipstick tube on my truck is also badly rusted, so figured I would replace that as well while everything is torn down. Fortunately these parts are still available from Ford, and aren't horribly expensive.

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I am using Mel's (Agnem) HG article on TDS and Tim's (The Warden) article on his 6.9 head stud install for my inspiration.
http://www.thedieselstop.com/contents/getitems.php3?6.9L%20Gasket%20and%20Turbo%20Install
http://www.dieselwarden.net/ford/project18.html

Thanks for reading! More to come.

 

[OLDBULL8]

All I can say is, READY SET GO.

But I don't see any Mechanics gloves, there a must be.

 

[IDIoit]

one of the most important items that seem to be preached here is to make sure you know which way the pushrods are installed.
one side should be a different color.
other than that, organizing them isnt too critical, but excellent practice.

make sure you get yourself a machinist stone.
its a flat stone that you use on the deck and the heads after cleaning.
to ensure that they are flat.
it does not remove much material but you will clearly see low spots.

i highly suggest that you take the heads into your local machine shop and have them mag'd and pressure tested.
since you seem to be doing through job, i suspect this will be done.
a new set of valve springs wouldnt hurt either. but not necessary

 

[tbrumm]

All I can say is, READY SET GO.

But I don't see any Mechanics gloves, there a must be.

Oh, I always have a bunch of good nitrile gloves on hand along with a pair of the mechanics gloves!

 

[tbrumm]

one of the most important items that seem to be preached here is to make sure you know which way the pushrods are installed.
one side should be a different color.
other than that, organizing them isnt too critical, but excellent practice.

make sure you get yourself a machinist stone.
its a flat stone that you use on the deck and the heads after cleaning.
to ensure that they are flat.
it does not remove much material but you will clearly see low spots.

i highly suggest that you take the heads into your local machine shop and have them mag'd and pressure tested.
since you seem to be doing through job, i suspect this will be done.
a new set of valve springs wouldnt hurt either. but not necessary

Thanks, Brian. Yeah, I am going to have the heads checked while they are off. Not too many machine shops around where I live, but I did find this one on the internet. Figured I would give him a call and check it out.
http://www.rocksolidfabandmachine.com/index.html

I had thought about valve springs too. What would you recommend? New OEM or something else? There are a bunch listed on e-Bay too - just not sure they are any good? The valves/springs have to be taken out anyway to install the new seals/shields, so installing new springs at the same time wouldn't wouldn't be any more work.

I do have a machinist stone too. Years ago I completed a year in Vo-Tech for tool and die so still have the the measuring tools. I spent three months in my apprenticeship and decided it was not for me. While I liked the close tolerance work, I hated all the surface grinding. I also didn't like being in the shop "all the time". I changed things up after that, became a land surveyor, and have been much happier. I still have to hit tight tolerances - I just get to do it with survey equipment rather than surface grinder.

 

[IDIoit]

are you going to be swapping cams?
call summit or jegs, they can get you a good set of springs, dont use no-named brands...

whats wrong with surface grinding?
i have a Brown & Sharpe w/ automatic down feed,
i set it, and forget it, come back when the alarm goes off and then finish up to the .0002 tolerances lol

 

[Hydro-idi]

Comp 910 springs work well FYI.

 

[tbrumm]

Comp 910 springs work well FYI.

IIRC The 910's need to be shimmed?

 

[Hydro-idi]

IIRC The 910's need to be shimmed?

Yes. The machine shop will shim them when installing. They won't need much.

 

[tbrumm]

are you going to be swapping cams?
call summit or jegs, they can get you a good set of springs, dont use no-named brands...

whats wrong with surface grinding?
i have a Brown & Sharpe w/ automatic down feed,
i set it, and forget it, come back when the alarm goes off and then finish up to the .0002 tolerances lol

I had thought about getting one of the torque cams that Russ offers. But, my truck is N/A and for the limited towing I do, I am just not sure it would be that big of a benefit, and I know it would be more work to put in. Really, the studs are overkill too (And I know you know all about overkill) but I never want to pull these heads again.

The shop I started my apprenticeship in had older machines (and this was 1992 too) so no alarms on the surface grinders. Auto down feed yes, but you still had to carefully monitor the grinder. I remember it was a really big deal the day the shop took delivery of a their first new CNC mill. Not that the apprentice would ever get to use that - you got to pay dues first. The time I spent at Vo-Tech school and in the shop was certainly not wasted. When I went to college for land surveying, all that shop math (trig) put me well ahead of the learning curve. Not to mention the fact that I have a manual lathe and mill in my basement now

 

[riotwarrior]

In for the penny eh?...the pound would be the cam too....allrighty sounds like one fantastic project and cannot wait to see this to the end.

How much did your thread chaser cost you?

 

[IDIoit]

Comp 910 springs work well FYI.

i wouldnt use these springs on a stock cam.
the reason we use them on other cams is because of the spring rating.
more lift and duration require more spring pressure to get the valve back to the seat quicker.
now, on a roller cam this only makes your engine work harder than it needs to.
but on a flat tappet cam you can actually kill the cam and lifters.
only use the high spring rating when using aftermarket cam grinds.

adding a cam is more work? not much more! you already will have the water pump off.
and the serp system.
seems like a good time to do it...
ask Ian, he noticed a big difference from a stock cam with a turbo to the torque cam without a turbo!

FYI

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[tbrumm]

In for the penny eh?...the pound would be the cam too....allrighty sounds like one fantastic project and cannot wait to see this to the end.

How much did your thread chaser cost you?

Al, I haven't ruled out the cam entirely yet- we will have to see how the budget holds up. I know once I am in that deep that doing a cam swap is not all THAT much more work. I think Russ quoted around $315 or so for the cam plus core. I am not questioning the price - I know Russ provides the cams (and all other stuff he does not to mention the free advice) as more of a service to the IDI community rather than as a big money maker for himself. It is just that when you are working on a repair budget, everything has to be considered carefully.

I picked up the thread chaser from Summit - I think it was around $32 so that little ****** is pricey, but is the right tool for the job.

 

[Hydro-idi]

When I had the comp 910's installed, I remember him saying the spring pressure was within spec when he got them on. So not sure if they are much stiffer than stock. Could be wrong tho

 

[OLDBULL8]

If your going to change the cam, I've got a good one out of a block I'm going to scrap out. I could send it to Russ.