Steven280ZX

hey guys i gota 82 280zx and im tryin to get my head off but its being a biach and not moving a bit. i took out all 14 head bolts the two bolts that hold it to the block and a rad hose. what am i missing or is it just a little stuck. just double checking cuz i dont wanna screw anything up!

jfairladyz

give it couple of taps (dont clobber it) with a hammer. The dowels can stick in there pretty good sometimes.

NismoPick

Did you take off the cam sprocket? Remember to shove a wood block down between the timing chain & plastic guides, so the timing chain doesn't slip down in the timing cover.

Steven280ZX

woh dont worry nismopick i did take off the cam sprocket and left the wook block ther and yeah i'll give it a couple a taps rite now

Steven280ZX

oh god tapin did nothin im trying to pull it out and im moving the whole car!!! did i miss sumthing

jfairladyz

double check to make sure you got all the bolts out. Most likely it's just the old gasket acting like glue and bonding the two together. If you haven't taken the intake/exhaust manifolds off then that might be a good idea. It'll be easier to take the hood off by taking that extra weight off first. If all else fails you can use an engine hoist to lift the head up off of the block.

veyenyl

Don't use a hammer. Get a rubber mallet and whack it as hard as you want until it loosens.

n00blar

I just removed the head on my parts ZX and I have some pictures to share; maybe that will hint you on what you may be missing?

BoulderZ

Removing the N47 from my '78, I used the "cartoon hammer" (a big rubber mallet, about 4 inches across), and gave it quite a few good whacks all around. Looked like it had loosened it pretty well, but there was still one part of the gasket sticking enough that I nearly went over backwards when it finally popped off while I was lifting it up. If you've got the hoist and the access, as mentioned above, that can really make your life easier.
good luck,
Dave

Steven280ZX

sry guys all i got is a rubber mallet.... well i gotta go find it mi dads tools r all over they place. once i find it and whack her i'll let u no whats up thanks fer all the help so far tho!

Skully

oh yeah its the valve trough the piston thing....
hehe no im kidding...like J said the gasket probably is holding everything together like glue. What happens with porous materials like iron and aluminum (cast) is that when hot the pores open up and suck the gasket material in and then it gets glued on there.

Steven280ZX

k guys heads off and block is out things r lookin good ... excpet sh*t is mi blocked cracked?!?! man i got oil and antifreeze leaking out mixed together... hopefully it was just a blown head gasket but i'll hafta get it checked out.... anyone no where i can get a F54 block just in case?

jfairladyz

Thats pretty amazing if you actually managed to crack the block. It's usually the head that goes before the block. If the head is fine then I doubt anything is wrong with the block. And if you took the head off and THEN you had oil and coolant mixed then that doesn't neccessarily mean anything. They could've mixed as the head was being removed. If they were mixed before hand though then that can spell trouble.

www.car-part.com is a good just in case.

NismoPick

That's usually what happens.... Just because you see oil & coolant, doesn't mean the head/block is cracked.... Clean it up & look at it.

Steven280ZX

well doesnt matter hopefully i'll end up doin that build i mentioned in mi other thread u guys already read that bad boy...think im on the rite track?

Bleach

no. Honestly don't do a 3.1 stroker turbo.
Buy and build a stock turbo engine. Then upgrade it. It will be fun and a good learning experience. also, cheap.
When you've done that and it seems easy, then start building your other turbo engine or just buy an RB26DETT.

BoulderZ

The fluids all mix together and make a mess when you take the head off, even if there's only a tiny bit left. Clean it really good with naptha and a million paper towels and see what it looks like.

If you have any doubts you can use machinist's blue (dykem) in a marker, color the suspect area, and wipe off with a paper towel to see if there's a crack. It's just a quick shade-tree check, and not as good as a proper magnaflux, but it's a good indicator and you can do it yourself w/o a machine shop. If you're still concerned, then go ahead and have it professionally checked.

Or, if the whole exercise is designed to justify a new built-up project motor, then just convince youself that it'll never go back together right anyway and that you may as well do all the mods and changes to the car now that you have it this far apart. You know, "While you're at it."
Dave

Steven280ZX

yup ur rite block not cracked just a blown head gasket thats all...pfew and i decieded against the 3.1 turbo cuz of high gas la de da no road trips and stuff so its just gunna hafta be a turbo swap with the usual upgrades.