Back to taking head oft to fix studs

[Guest]

Is it possible just to take the head oft and not the intake manifold oft the engine? By this I mean could you just keep one side attached and remove the the other head without taking oft the intake manifold. Just curious

[rln31455]

I'm a retired GM mechanic. The head and exhaust manifold can be removed as a unit on the FE motor. It was also common to pull cylinder heads without removing the intake. We did that to beat the book time. You have to be careful not to damage the gaskets. The intake gasket must be glued to the head. We would cut the heads off of two extra head bolts and slot the top of the remaning stud. The studs would be inserted in the block and used as guide pins. Two long thin punches were inserted through two bolt holes in the head. Then the head was lowered and installed over the studs, usuing the punches to position the head as it went into place. The studs were then removed with a screwdriver after the head was in place. It's important to apply a small amount of RTV sealer where the head and intake meet at the front and rear corners to prevent oil leakage.
The design of the FE motor will make this procedure possible. If you don't have a service manager screaming at you to hurry up and get to the next job, it's probably better to remove the intake when removing the head. The exhaust will easily come off with the head.

[Guest]

I twisted one of my exhaust manifold bolts off today... I hope this can be done... I will try it and see... I have one smashed finger from hammering on the bolts and a bad cut on the other hand from trying to get the bolts with the head still in the car....