Head Update
 

OK so I pretty much have removed the head... it took me about 4 hours. The only thing in my way is the temperature probe which is frozen inside it's housing on the head. Thanks to the previous mechanic the nut is pretty much stripped. I guess I'm just going to have to cut it off and buy a new one :-( I hosed it down with wd-40 and I if can't get it to budge tomorrow I may try some heat before giving up on it completely.

Oh and I found out why I thought I needed to remove the distibutor which is in this picture.

I can get the head off but I will not beable to lower the new head into place with this in the way. Since I now have a number of old bolts I was planning on grinding of the heads of two long bolts to use as guides when placing the new head.

Anyway thanks for everybodies help!

Sorry about the bad info on the distributor - thought that it fastened to the block.

Do EVERYTHING you can to get the temp probe out without damage. The probe, wire and guage are all one piece. So you would need to find a new (ga$p) or used piece, and take the instrument pod out and remove the back to put the replacement in.

Get some PB Blaster and a pair of good vise grips. WD40 is marginal for unsticking threads.

Yeah! I got the temp rpobe off. I had sprayed it with rust buster not wd-40 so maybe that helped I just couldn't think of what it was called when I was writing. A new one costs $175!!!!!

Here's the cleaned block. I found a place tha has bottoming taps and is not too far away so I'm off to get one.

OK per my other post I now have to find something to do while waiting for the new ballstuds to arrive. I guess I could go ahead and mount the new head as I can still easily install the ballstuds after the CAMshaft is on. Actually I'm finding that it's best to disassembled various aspects of the head while it is mounted as you have more leverage with it in the car.

For example lossening the nut on the camshaft is difficult. I hope I doscovered the correct or workable solutioj it worked for me anyway. You have to lockdown the shaft in order to losen the bolt. I found a large pipe wrench carefully placed holds the camshaft firmly and does not mar it at all.



BTW this is a great time to install new engine mounts as they is lots of elbow room with the head and exhaust manifold off. In my case it turns out that the mounts weren't in that bad a shape but the passenger side was looking kind of sketchy. I replaced both anyway.

Gmask

Just finished my head on my 68 250S.

GOOD TIP coming your way. Ready?

There is a washer UNDER the distributor hold down! It acts as a spacer and is easily lost, not noticed.
When I tightened down my distributor after making SURE it had bottomed out, I promtly broke off the whole ear where the bolt goes through into the head. DOH! Didn't have the spacer UNDER the ear.

All my ball studs are so hard to turn, I had to remove the rockers and use a socket and ratchet wrench with a cheater bar!!! What is up with this?

Nother tip.

These are not stretch bolts as intimated by another poster. You don't let them rest before final tighten. I think he is thinking about a diesel, and that is another method of tightening anyway. I won't go into it.

One thing which I forgot (because of brain fade) is to put on the oiler tower BEFORE putting in the head bolts. Doh, and double doh. I torqued everything before I realized it.
I went ahead and removed the bolts needed, put it on and retightened them without loosening the other bolts. My head gasket stayed properly crushed and hasn't leaked yet, so I am hoping I dodged it.

I haven't decided if I will put the towers and camshaft on before or after placing the head. I was thinking that the camshaft makes for a nice handle but it also makes the head much heavier...

Hmm.. I thinki I can see it there in the above photo but I can't remember what I did with it?? Thanks for the heads up though. pun intended ;-)

gmask

Oh goody!
I saved you a real problem here, believe me. I feel great!

The washer is fairly thick, and does not look normal. It usually falls down through, onto the floor.

What threw me off, was that I was absolutely positive that I had seated the distributor in its hole (I had) and could not figure out why I broke it.
I sourced another distributor in the PNP, but the bushings were worn out and it was a different year, etc. I dismantled it and used what I needed.
I still didn't notice a washer when I pulled it out in the junkyard.
When I was bolting this "new" dist. down, I felt the famiiar sick feeling that the bolt was tightening 'funny'...

Got out my mirror and flashlight for a look see, and there was this mysterious gap under the ear. Turns out the someone had used the thick washer as a regular washer under the allen head hold down bolt, but had apparently not tightened the dist down hard enough to break it.

Let us stay in touch, because it seems that we are on a parrallel journey with this M130.

You can install the cam without the oiler tower. and yes, the cam makes a very handy handle.

I would recommend installing both manifolds and carbs before installing the head on the block.
I used a come-along from a convenient rafter to lower the head, while arranging the chain, and gasket, etc.
You need to have care here to avoid denting the fragile head gasket.

Oh, and handle the head gasket with care! If you pick it up by one end, it is heavy enough that it might bend due to its own weight, and that would be that.
In fact, that was apparently the reason my gasket leaked coolant and the reason it was donated to the thrift store. Turns out the engine was freshly rebuilt, but the mechanic who installed the head, bent the gasket at the end by cylinder six. Probably just bent it back and dodged buying another expensive gasket.

It turned out to be to my benefit of course, because the frustrated owner gave up the cause and donated this lovely old car-after putting a ton of money into a rebuild too!