Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

HELP! My husband, in an attempt to help, removed the nuts and spark plugs on the cylinder head (dumping years of gunk and grime into the engine block) and broke the head gasket trying to remove it. We have tried and tried and tried to get the head off to no avail. With a fair amount of leverage I can get one side of the head up and off the studs but am finding myself unable to get the other side off, even with help. Do I absolutely need to use a hoist? Is this why I am unable to remove it? The gasket is completely broken and now must be replaced. I know he was trying to help but now I am stuck cleaning up the mess. Tips?

The head must come off evenly. You can't just lift one end and then try and lift the other end without the head binding on the studs. I suggest that you try to wedge the head up off the engine block using wooden wedges at four corners until you can get your hands under the head and lift evenly to raise it past the studs. I am sure others wil chime in but this might get you started.

Don't worry about the head gasket, you never reuse them anyway. Try shooting some PB Blaster down the offending stud holes and let it work for a while. I use putty knives inserted between the gasket surfaces, evenly all around, removing the manifolds if necessary. As Clipper47 says, its got to come up evenly.

What some folks do (too late for you) is to remove the head nuts, leave the spark plugs in, and crank the engine over, using the compression to break the gasket seal.

Most important, just be patient.

G'day RustedOut2Roadworthy,
First, to PackardInfo. Second, it's at least a two man, or maybe in your case one woman and a helper job to lift the head off, once you have it started as suggested, it is heavy. And third, when you've finished your labor of love with your '51 200, could you please include it in the Packard Owner's Registry here together with a pic, any known history and how you acquired it.

Take 2 of the old spark plugs, break out the porcelain, and weld on steel rings. Now you can screw them into the front and back cylinders and attach a chain to pull off the head.

You will need an engine hoist or chain fall for this.

Quote:

That's how I do it, I just pulled a head off of a '53 288 a couple of days ago, and used Owen's putty knife method to break the gasket loose, then it came right off. It WILL come off once it's loose, but only if it comes off evenly. Head studs are a PITA, I might go with head bolts on my engines from now on....

I doubt there are many women who could lift a straight eight packard head straight up off the studs and walk away with it. C clamps or no C clamps.An Olympic weight lifter would have a problem, considering how you have to reach way over into the engine compartment to do it.

That's why I suggest using an engine lift or chain fall. Some pry bar assistance may still be needed if it gets cocked or jammed.

I always leave the thermostat gooseneck and heater hose outlet on for grips. On most Packards after 1932 or so you have to remove the manifolds to use the C-clamp method. Not woman's work, but not all that heavy for one guy. As I elevate it, I prop it up on larger and larger blocks of wood until it's free of the studs.

When I recently pulled the head off my spare 288 engine I had to do it myself. I am 70 years old and have arthritis in the hands (no grip strength). To do the job I had to use brains and tools.
To start with I cut a large selection of small wooden blocks from small square moldings and thin plywood strips. I also got some narrow wood wedges at the local Home Depot store. With the nuts and washers off I put Kroil (penetrating oil) down each stud to lubricate a soften any dirt. Then I carefully tapped thin bladed screwdrivers into the sides of the head gasket at the 4 corners. You must take care not to force any screwdriver. The thin blade digs into the soft head gasket and the taper of the screwdriver blade wedges the head upwards. I used lots of screwdrivers so the head remained level and did not jam on the studs. As gaps opened up I used bigger screwdrivers and then finally started tapping the wood wedges into the gap. When gaps became large enough I put in the thin strips and wood blocks to hold the head level and keep it from falling on my fingers. Finally the head was high enough to clear the studs and I turned it slightly to rest it on the tops of the studs. At that point it was totally clear of the studs and I could wrap my hands around it and safely lift it off. A helper or a chain hoist would have made this part of the job much easier.
On another engine I made puller tools from old spark plugs. If you grind or machine off the metal surrounding the ceramic insulator the plug will come apart. With the ceramic removed the steel part of the plug has an internal hole that can be easily tapped. You can screw a bolt or a lifting eye into the tapped hole to hoist the head.
I agree that studs make head removal harder than bolts, but studs and nuts are more reliable. A head bolt can corrode and break in the threaded area and this causes way more problems than studs. It is difficult to clean out a tapped hole in the block. The corrosion and dirt inside the tapped holes in the block makes bolt torquing less accurate than torquing clean nuts on clean external threads. On many racing engines I have converted head bolts to studs for these reasons.

Fred, you are showing you age when you mention Kroil. It was the standard for many years and I still have some, but PB Blaster has left it in the dust as far as I'm concerned.