Engine: 57 289 cyl head removal

[studelyman]

Trying to remove the heads from my 289 motor with no sucess. Think I have all bolts removed except for the rockaer assy.
Do I have to remove the rocker assy to remove head. If not anyone have any thoughts before I start prying on anything?
Thanks for the info Rick

[bezhawk]

Yes, the rocker stand bolts also hold on the head. Studebaker V8's have 18 head bolts.

[Mike Van Veghten]

The smaller bolts no...the larger bolts yes.

BUT, it IS better to remove the rocker assembly first. This way, when you are removing the 50lb.+ head, you won't hurt any pushrods..!

Mike

[SN-60]

Once all the head bolts are removed, and the rocker shaft assy is taken off, and the pushrods are carefully pulled out,....Take a lever about 18" long, insert it into one of the intake ports of the head, then give it a quick yank,......The head should 'pop' off of it's locating dowels. If the engine is out on a stand.....It's a good idea to wear steel-toed shoes!!

[PlainBrownR2]

Once all the bolts are out, including the ones in the rocker assembly the head should yank right off the block. If you have to resort to anything to pry it loose, you haven't gotten all the bolts out, and you can ruin the surface of the head and block!!

[PackardV8]

Once all the bolts are out, including the ones in the rocker assembly the head should yank right off the block. If you have to resort to anything to pry it loose, you haven't gotten all the bolts out, and you can ruin the surface of the head and block!!

Given fifty years of corrosion and some of the gasket cements CASOs used, that's not strictly true.

Yes, check to insure all bolts are removed, but prying is often required.

jack vines

[PlainBrownR2]

You don't wanna pry. I found this out when I took the heads off of the 259 on the '55. The engine had been in the car since the day it left the assembly line, but it was essentially seized. I had forgotten about the exhaust bolts on the head, so what do I do? I take a screwdriver, shove it between the block and the head, and try and chisel the head off. Only then did I find out I had forgotten about the bolts, and managed to put a nice large gash in the head surface too, where the screwdriver went in between the head and the block. Once I pulled the bolts loose, the head came off with ease! It was all for nothing, because one of the heads had a nice crack in the intake passage, so they were not much good to me. It shouldn't be rocket science, a little bit of wrestling and they should come right off, unless a few of us have failed to eat our Wheaties over the years!

[SN-60]

You don't wanna pry. I found this out when I took the heads off of the 259 on the '55. The engine had been in the car since the day it left the assembly line, but it was essentially seized. I had forgotten about the exhaust bolts on the head, so what do I do? I take a screwdriver, shove it between the block and the head, and try and chisel the head off. Only then did I find out I had forgotten about the bolts, and managed to put a nice large gash in the head surface too, where the screwdriver went in between the head and the block. Once I pulled the bolts loose, the head came off with ease! It was all for nothing, because one of the heads had a nice crack in the intake passage, so they were not much good to me. It shouldn't be rocket science, a little bit of wrestling and they should come right off, unless a few of us have failed to eat our Wheaties over the years!

You're wrong.....But I have to admit that this response of Yours is an entertaining read!!

[PlainBrownR2]

You're wrong.....But I have to admit that this response of Yours is an entertaining read!!

Oh, the battle cry of a man whose never disassembled an engine before!!

[PackardV8]

Once all the head bolts are removed, and the rocker shaft assy is taken off, and the pushrods are carefully pulled out,....Take a lever about 18" long, insert it into one of the intake ports of the head, then give it a quick yank,......The head should 'pop' off of it's locating dowels.

You don't wanna pry. I found this out when I took the heads off of the 259 on the '55. The engine had been in the car since the day it left the assembly line, but it was essentially seized. I had forgotten about the exhaust bolts on the head, so what do I do? I take a screwdriver, shove it between the block and the head, and try and chisel the head off.

Anyone see a difference?

jack vines

[SScopelli]

Trying to remove the heads from my 289 motor with no sucess. Think I have all bolts removed except for the rockaer assy.
Do I have to remove the rocker assy to remove head. If not anyone have any thoughts before I start prying on anything?
Thanks for the info Rick

Yes you do!

The big headed bolts on the rockers are really long and are used in the torque sequence when you put the head back on.. Keep track of which length came from which row. There are 3 different lengths and need to go back in the same place.

Remove the rocker assembly and push rods first, then replace two of the long bolts, front and back..

Remove all other head bolts.

I'm assuming you removed the intake and exhaust manifold already.

If you need to pry the head off you can stick a bar in the ports of the exhaust or intake and the two bolts you put back can help keep the head from sliding off when it breaks free!

Once free remove the two "helper" bolts and prepare for a hernia

Ladies, fight nice..

[PlainBrownR2]

Anyone see a difference?

jack vines

Yeah, don't pry by shoving a sharp object between the machined surfaces of the head and the block!!

Of course, those '55 heads needed some major work soon after anyway, so they were not good from the getgo anyway. They went on once on the 289, and had to come off again after I found the coolant leak from a cracked intake port. The stock 289 heads that I pulled and reinstalled 3-4 times to the same 289, were done with a simple tap of a soft mallet, and they'd break loose without prying on anything. Just wiggle it around a little, a quick yank, and pull from the engine bay. It's all in the wrists, hehehe......

[Tom Bredehoft]

No one's mentioned this so I'll put it in, Just in case.

Drain the block before your take the heads off. Unless you're doing a complete rebuild you don't want coolant in your cylinders. As soon as the gasket breaks loose, coolant is going to run into the tops of the cylinders otherwise.

[Don Jeffers]

Is this engine seized?

If not, spin the engine over with the starter with the head bolts loose. That often loosens the heads.