replacing head gastets

[skunkworks]

My RRC head gasket blew. its a $1200 repair if a professional mechanic does the work but is it really that hard? i have all the tools and a very knowledgeable sidekick and we think we can do it.

Does anyone have any experience doing this, that could give some pointers? or
is it worth spending the money sending it to the shop for a while?

[BullDogSix]

Bump it back to the top for you...sorry I have not done this chore...yet.

[Paul Grant]

There really isn't anything unusual about replacing the head gasket on a Rover. If you have a friend who is knowledgeable about cars in general you should have no problem. I would sent the heads out to be skimmed and checked over before I reinstalled them but I'm sure your friend has already mentioned this.

[57loboy]

I did mine last fall and as Paul said, it's quite easy to do. had mine out/apart in a couple hours. I like these better than others since you don't even have to mess with removing the distributor. Be sure to check out the condition of your cam/lifters while in there as it's the perfect time to replace them if they are bad. Same for the waterpump and all the rubber coolant lines.

[bartell]

Originally Posted by 57loboy

I did mine last fall and as Paul said, it's quite easy to do. had mine out/apart in a couple hours. I like these better than others since you don't even have to mess with removing the distributor. Be sure to check out the condition of your cam/lifters while in there as it's the perfect time to replace them if they are bad. Same for the waterpump and all the rubber coolant lines.

I agree. If you remove the top end you can check the tappet preload and it is worth checking the heads. You can do that yourself.

There are some watchpoints.

1. Do not reuse head bolts..ever. Buy a head gasket kit which will include the newer stretch bolts that do not require complex torquing or any retorquing.

2. Follow the head bolt sequence.

3. If your vehicle already has the newer black rubber (silicone) valve cover gaskets, be careful as you remove them. They have little dowels at the screws that can fall into the engine. Do not reuse these gaskets.

4. On occasion, one can find a shimmed rocker pedestal.

JVB

[atvsmurf]

here comes the hijack... how many miles can the bottom end be expected to live, reliably? just askin, cause if the engine has high mileage, then you are already tearing into it, so if someone has ~ 200,000, how long could they trust it to keep rolling before spinning a bearing or somethin else? I know that re-ringing, new bearings, oil pump, seals, etc. is going to run a lot more money than headgaskets...just thought I would get your thoughts and opinions...

[57loboy]

it all depends on how diligent the maintenance has been all along... These motors (Buick v8) are really not stressed all that much from a bottom-end perspective in my mind and I've seen/heard them going 200k+ with only the "usual" headgasket and waterpump issues over time.
When I did mine, the engine had 133k on it, had never been apart, but was religiously maintained by the original owner (I am the 2nd owner as of 133k miles). The cylinder walls still had the factory cross-hatching visible with no other scuffing, etc. Cam wasn't even brown from age, lifters had only ever-so-slight wear so I left them alone. No sludge anywhere in the block, valley or valve cover gaskets or rocker shafts. Proof that good care and feeding greatly increases the longevity of these and any engines...

[git-r-done]

I am getting ready to do a head gasket job on my 99 disco2. The dealer told me to do a valve job at the same time because they were notorious for carbon build up and sticking valves. It only has 110k on it. Is this true and if so where should I get the parts?

[git-r-done]

I am getting ready to do a head gasket job on my 99 disco2. The dealer told me to do a valve job at the same time because they were notorious for carbon build up and sticking valves. It only has 110k on it. Is this true and if so where should I get the parts?

[57loboy]

I had my heads done when apart - there's no better time to do it and you thereby ensure everything is tight and fresh.

Most machine shops have no problem getting the hard parts for the heads (guides/valves/etc) I supplied the seals for mine as they were part of the complete head kit I got from AB.