Club 80-90 Forums

yummy

Aidan wrote: ↑21 Aug 2026, 20:23 bet that engine has been stood a good while out of the vehicle and / or drained down of most of the coolant

Two years sitting in a garage.

Left engine for five days soaking in oil, acetone, brake fluid, ATF combination.
Today subjected it to intense heat while hammering and tweeking the two stuck studs back and forth to push fluid down threads.
Still no joy!
To be honest the head studs are badly corroded and will need changing. So thinking of putting and angle grinder with a cutting blade down the gap.

OR splitting the cases with this pi$$ taking cylinder head still attached. Removing crank with conrods and pistons in place. Then beating from inside against the cylinder head.

Is there somewhere you can wedge a car jack between the halves to help you split.

The t25 jack is great and narrow.

mioba wrote: ↑29 Aug 2026, 12:38 Is there somewhere you can wedge a car jack between the halves to help you split.

The t25 jack is great and narrow.

Open to any suggestions. But simply cannot see where to seat it without damaging the block or cylinder head.
A small scissor jack might do it. But Maxine's car is being used by son at present.

A nearby mate has a Citroën C3. That might do it.

And still it holds.
It can lift a corner of a car though....... ..

Funnily enough stripped a beetle engine down the other day that had been sitting for at least 10 years, had to belt the crap out of the head by using a block of wood on each corner and belting the wood with a large hammer, it wasn't shifting due to rust/corrosion with it been sat outside. Got it off eventually by hammering the corners so it comes off straight as if you go mad it comes off at an angle and binds on the headstuds. 

Yep. I did think of this.

So used some soft metal inserts on opposite side.

Postimages seems to be having a busy afternoon.
Nothing uploading?

Finally turned up!

I find that rust is the strongest bloody weld of all.

Keep at it.

Make sure you are wearing adequate protective clothing because i think when that pops apart something will go flying.

Its one of those jobs i bet you wished you never took on but at the same time you wont stop till it is right.

Thanks. But l'm getting to the point of finding another engine to play with.
Pushing close to 12 or 13 hours just to remove one of two heads. Ridiculous!

Decided to cut through the two errant studs l believed were stopping the head coming off.

Not so. Im not sure what is causing this problem. Before start of disassembly the engine turned over easily. Now seems jammed!

Brought out the winch and strung up the engine by the stuck head hoping gravity and weight would finally let it separate. NOPE!



What more can l do? Cut the cylinder head in half?

Meanwhile, l have been enjoying roller painting my camper with Rustoleum Combicolor. Added another coat around the offside rear windows this afternoon.
Walked away to fire up enthusiasm for this bloody engine. Came back to check paint 45 minutes later and found this has happened.



Time for a beer, or five!

Blimey Stu. It seems like if you didn't have bad luck, you would have no luck at all.

R0B wrote: ↑01 Sep 2026, 17:00 Blimey Stu. It seems like if you didn't have bad luck, you would have no luck at all.

Most annoying bit is l really made a lovely job on that bit of the bodywork.

Such is life. I'm not stuck in a war zone or in the aftermath of a tidal wave.