1980 280 head gasket
02-02-2006, 07:17 PM
#1
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1980 280 head gasket
My friend has a 1980 280z (or zx, not sure). The head gasket blew a week ago so its been down. I have never worked on a Z car before and nethier has he. I am going to replace it for him and was wondering if anyone has any info that would help me. He is getting a Haynes manual. Is there any head gasket that better to use then others? I looked through this forum and Fel-pro metal gaskets seem the favorite.
Thanks for any input
Tom
Thanks for any input
Tom
02-02-2006, 07:50 PM
#2
Big Poppa
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Use Fel-pro, Cheap And It Works, You Will Need The Timing Chain Tensioner Holder, It Keeps The Chain From Falling Off The Bottom Gear. There Should Be Directions In The Manual, You Can Build It From Good Quality Wood. Take The Head Off With The Intake And Exhaust On The Head, It Will Make Life Easier Later. It Should Take An Unexperienced Person 2-2.5 Hours To Get It Off. I Can Do It In And Hour, But Ive Done Lots Of Them. Any More Questions Ask Or Read The Manual.
02-02-2006, 09:06 PM
#3
Originally Posted by SHADY280
Use Fel-pro, Cheap And It Works, You Will Need The Timing Chain Tensioner Holder, It Keeps The Chain From Falling Off The Bottom Gear. There Should Be Directions In The Manual, You Can Build It From Good Quality Wood. Take The Head Off With The Intake And Exhaust On The Head, It Will Make Life Easier Later. It Should Take An Unexperienced Person 2-2.5 Hours To Get It Off. I Can Do It In And Hour, But Ive Done Lots Of Them. Any More Questions Ask Or Read The Manual.
02-03-2006, 04:34 AM
#4
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Originally Posted by SHADY280
Use Fel-pro, Cheap And It Works, You Will Need The Timing Chain Tensioner Holder, It Keeps The Chain From Falling Off The Bottom Gear. There Should Be Directions In The Manual, You Can Build It From Good Quality Wood. Take The Head Off With The Intake And Exhaust On The Head, It Will Make Life Easier Later. It Should Take An Unexperienced Person 2-2.5 Hours To Get It Off. I Can Do It In And Hour, But Ive Done Lots Of Them. Any More Questions Ask Or Read The Manual.
Last edited by Slow6stang; 02-03-2006 at 05:32 AM.
02-03-2006, 07:59 AM
#5
The Evil Twin
Join Date: Mar 2001
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How many miles does this engine have?
I would say you should tear it all down and just replace the timing set. New chain, sprockets, guides, and tensioner. New oil pan gasket, new intake/exhaust gasket, new front main seal... ect.
Remove the head and use a straight edge accross it diagnally and down the edge lengthwise. You can tell right there if there is any major warping. If it appears ok, then stick it back on.
The key to this project is to pay attention to the timing setup. You will want to rotate the engine's first cylinder to the top position, install the head, set up your timing chain propertly, and insert the oil pump as required in order for your cam and ignition timing to be correct.
This setup is simular to most any SOHC engine. If you have never torn down an overhead cam engine (or any engine for that matter) you may have some difficulty if you don't have a good manual to follow step by step. Haynes can be found on eBay for maybe $5.
Buy the book, then decide how far you want to tear the engine down. Post here and we can give you some tips on what to do BEFORE you start ripping things apart. Once its apart the book will be your main guide.
I would say you should tear it all down and just replace the timing set. New chain, sprockets, guides, and tensioner. New oil pan gasket, new intake/exhaust gasket, new front main seal... ect.
Remove the head and use a straight edge accross it diagnally and down the edge lengthwise. You can tell right there if there is any major warping. If it appears ok, then stick it back on.
The key to this project is to pay attention to the timing setup. You will want to rotate the engine's first cylinder to the top position, install the head, set up your timing chain propertly, and insert the oil pump as required in order for your cam and ignition timing to be correct.
This setup is simular to most any SOHC engine. If you have never torn down an overhead cam engine (or any engine for that matter) you may have some difficulty if you don't have a good manual to follow step by step. Haynes can be found on eBay for maybe $5.
Buy the book, then decide how far you want to tear the engine down. Post here and we can give you some tips on what to do BEFORE you start ripping things apart. Once its apart the book will be your main guide.
02-12-2006, 06:11 AM
#6
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Originally Posted by Bleach
How many miles does this engine have?
I would say you should tear it all down and just replace the timing set. New chain, sprockets, guides, and tensioner. New oil pan gasket, new intake/exhaust gasket, new front main seal... ect.
Remove the head and use a straight edge accross it diagnally and down the edge lengthwise. You can tell right there if there is any major warping. If it appears ok, then stick it back on.
The key to this project is to pay attention to the timing setup. You will want to rotate the engine's first cylinder to the top position, install the head, set up your timing chain propertly, and insert the oil pump as required in order for your cam and ignition timing to be correct.
This setup is simular to most any SOHC engine. If you have never torn down an overhead cam engine (or any engine for that matter) you may have some difficulty if you don't have a good manual to follow step by step. Haynes can be found on eBay for maybe $5.
Buy the book, then decide how far you want to tear the engine down. Post here and we can give you some tips on what to do BEFORE you start ripping things apart. Once its apart the book will be your main guide.
I would say you should tear it all down and just replace the timing set. New chain, sprockets, guides, and tensioner. New oil pan gasket, new intake/exhaust gasket, new front main seal... ect.
Remove the head and use a straight edge accross it diagnally and down the edge lengthwise. You can tell right there if there is any major warping. If it appears ok, then stick it back on.
The key to this project is to pay attention to the timing setup. You will want to rotate the engine's first cylinder to the top position, install the head, set up your timing chain propertly, and insert the oil pump as required in order for your cam and ignition timing to be correct.
This setup is simular to most any SOHC engine. If you have never torn down an overhead cam engine (or any engine for that matter) you may have some difficulty if you don't have a good manual to follow step by step. Haynes can be found on eBay for maybe $5.
Buy the book, then decide how far you want to tear the engine down. Post here and we can give you some tips on what to do BEFORE you start ripping things apart. Once its apart the book will be your main guide.
I have started tearing it a down. Everything is pretty old. I 'll have to go and get a new small hose or two, because they crumbled when I took them off. Its fuel injected. I am stuck at how to take the head off with the intake and exhaust still attached. I am locating all the attaching hoses and wires but it is taking awhile. Its been like 4 hours now.
Thanks for the help so far
02-12-2006, 08:26 AM
#9
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Yes! listen to all these guy, they know exactly what they're talking about, especially bleach. Pay particular attention to the timing chain, do not let it fall down or even get too much slack because the previous owner of my z started to work on it, and let this happen. now i have to pull everything apart and redo so much accomplished work. Oh and not to get you down or anything but, don't expect it to come off that quickly, there will always be problems while working on these cars so, just take your time and be careful with some of the smaller bolts, they tend to snap or break, especially those on the exhaust manifold. Good luck with the Z man, im still working on getting my head gasket project done, hehe
02-16-2006, 07:24 AM
#11
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Well the car has 183,000 miles. Stock as they come. I have all the electrical connections labeled and disconnected (injectors, air regulator, etc.), as well as fuel lines and such. The only thing left is taking the exhaust off the exhaust manifold. Are the three studs easy to replace seeing as how there are most likely going to break (rusty)? I sprayed them with liquid wrench and am letting them sit. I have decided to keep the intake and exhaust attached to the head to amke things easier like shady280 said. And I have the wooden tool that will hold the timing chain in place fit real nice and snug when I put it in for a test run.
Oh, and this is the first time I have even taken the vavle cover off a car. I have put a LSD (in Ford talk its a traction-lock) in my stang as well as replaceing the whole suspension with performance parts. Corners alot better then stock but there is still ALOT to be done if I want to make it any quicker in the twisties (or better yet drifting).
An a side note. If I get this completed sucessfully, I may have to get an older Zcar. It seems alot more solid then my Mustang, just jacking it up. I have really fallen in love with cornering and a FWD car will not do. The 280 is lighter then my stang but the unibody is ALOT thicker, and feels very sturdy.
Fla280zxDrifter, how long have been working on your head gasket replacement? Carburated or injected?
Thanks for the help so far.
Oh, and this is the first time I have even taken the vavle cover off a car. I have put a LSD (in Ford talk its a traction-lock) in my stang as well as replaceing the whole suspension with performance parts. Corners alot better then stock but there is still ALOT to be done if I want to make it any quicker in the twisties (or better yet drifting).
An a side note. If I get this completed sucessfully, I may have to get an older Zcar. It seems alot more solid then my Mustang, just jacking it up. I have really fallen in love with cornering and a FWD car will not do. The 280 is lighter then my stang but the unibody is ALOT thicker, and feels very sturdy.
Fla280zxDrifter, how long have been working on your head gasket replacement? Carburated or injected?
Thanks for the help so far.
Last edited by Slow6stang; 02-16-2006 at 07:31 AM.
02-16-2006, 04:55 PM
#13
Big Poppa
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Having Just An Exhaust Manifold Makes It Easier Than If You Had A Header For The One Piece Removal, Either Way Its Been Done By Me. Good To See Your Going To Try It That Way. If You Send It To A Machine Shop Youll Have To Remove The Intake And Exhaust Manifolds, But That Is Easier Done On The Bench, That Why I Do It That Way. If You Do That, Buy A Header From Msa And Start Your First Mod, The Header Will Hook Directly Up To Your Catalitic. Good Luck And Ask And Ye Shall Recieve
02-16-2006, 07:10 PM
#14
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Originally Posted by SHADY280
Having Just An Exhaust Manifold Makes It Easier Than If You Had A Header For The One Piece Removal, Either Way Its Been Done By Me. Good To See Your Going To Try It That Way. If You Send It To A Machine Shop Youll Have To Remove The Intake And Exhaust Manifolds, But That Is Easier Done On The Bench, That Why I Do It That Way. If You Do That, Buy A Header From Msa And Start Your First Mod, The Header Will Hook Directly Up To Your Catalitic. Good Luck And Ask And Ye Shall Recieve
I don't think the guy who owns the car wants to mod it, but I will make the suggestion about the hooker headers. He is over at the garage right now and we are going to take the H/I/E off in a little bit.
Thanks
02-16-2006, 10:15 PM
#15
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Well got the head/I/E off. I can see us having alittle trouble lining the gasket and head up on install with everything attached to it.
Scrapping the head is taking alot of time and energy. I'll keep updating.
One problem is the freaking piece of wood got wedged between the chain and it broke off from the top. Now I have to try and get it out without dropping any wood down or the chain. What fun.
How much you want (shady280) if we paid you to come down here and help out? (insert silly face here)
Scrapping the head is taking alot of time and energy. I'll keep updating.
One problem is the freaking piece of wood got wedged between the chain and it broke off from the top. Now I have to try and get it out without dropping any wood down or the chain. What fun.
How much you want (shady280) if we paid you to come down here and help out? (insert silly face here)
Last edited by Slow6stang; 02-16-2006 at 11:08 PM.
02-18-2006, 03:27 AM
#17
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Originally Posted by SHADY280
That Really Isnt That Far Of A Drive You Know, Its Only Portland, About 10 Hours, I Work For 30 Bucks An Hour Canadian, Im Cheap, Reliable And Smart
My dad lives near (~20km) Cache Creek, BC. (I have dual citizenship) It takes me about 4-6 hours the get to where you live, and another ~5 to get to his place. I drive about 5-10mph over the limit the whole way though. I have 4 days off work starting tomorrow night. I'm going to try and finish everything with in the first 2 nights. I can talk to the owner about paying you to come down if your cool with that. But I think we'll be able to get it done.
Do you work at a auto shop right now?
Last edited by Slow6stang; 02-18-2006 at 03:58 AM.
02-18-2006, 10:26 AM
#18
Big Poppa
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Yeah Im A Police Car Mechanic For The City Of Abbotsford, And I Have My Own Shop With Spray Booth. Im The Local Z Guy Everybody Calls When They Have Problems, You Start To Realize That When The Machine Shop Gives My Number To Guys Who Need Engines Built In There Z
02-20-2006, 08:11 AM
#19
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Well I finished cleaning the gasket from the head and wire wheeled the head bolts.
I found this though (attached pic). I don't know what thats going to do to the gasket, its about 1/8 inch deep. It wasn't the cause of the gasket failure, that was the #1 cylinder gasket ring thingy. Should I do somthing or leave it?
I found this though (attached pic). I don't know what thats going to do to the gasket, its about 1/8 inch deep. It wasn't the cause of the gasket failure, that was the #1 cylinder gasket ring thingy. Should I do somthing or leave it?
Last edited by Slow6stang; 02-20-2006 at 08:26 AM.
02-20-2006, 08:19 AM
#20
Originally Posted by Slow6stang
Well I finished cleaning the gasket from the head and wire wheeled the heads.
I found this though (attached pic). I don't know what thats going to do to the gasket, its about 1/8 inch deep. It wasn't the cause of the gasket failure, that was the #1 cylinder gasket ring thingy. Should I do somthing or leave it?
I found this though (attached pic). I don't know what thats going to do to the gasket, its about 1/8 inch deep. It wasn't the cause of the gasket failure, that was the #1 cylinder gasket ring thingy. Should I do somthing or leave it?
It looks like the owner used normal water instead of distilled water in the coolant.
02-20-2006, 08:37 AM
#21
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Originally Posted by NismoPick
Take a better pic of the head surface... but from that pic, I'd advise getting the head plane'd.
It looks like the owner used normal water instead of distilled water in the coolant.
It looks like the owner used normal water instead of distilled water in the coolant.
In this pic only around the #1 was scrapped off.
http://www.mustangmods.com/ims/u/118/2029/18841.jpg
02-22-2006, 09:37 AM
#22
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Damn peice of wood!!!
Here is a pic of the BIG snag. The front cover has to come off. Note to self: use solid oak next time!!!!
http://www.mustangmods.com/ims/u/118/2029/20027.jpg
http://www.mustangmods.com/ims/u/118/2029/20027.jpg
02-22-2006, 09:41 AM
#23
Originally Posted by Slow6stang
Here is a pic of the BIG snag. The front cover has to come off. Note to self: use solid oak next time!!!!
http://www.mustangmods.com/ims/u/118/2029/20027.jpg
http://www.mustangmods.com/ims/u/118/2029/20027.jpg
Did the wood break off? Just bend up a clothes hanger & pull it back out.
02-22-2006, 01:34 PM
#24
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Originally Posted by NismoPick
Did the wood break off? Just bend up a clothes hanger & pull it back out.
