OK..... so I pulled the heads off this oil burning Olds 215 to swap on a set of fairly low mileage (2k) Buick 215 heads I had done about 10 years ago.
Here's some pics with the heads off ..... definitely burning oil.... as if the earlier videos didn't tell me that
Driver side head:
Head Driver side.jpg
Driver side pistons:
Pistons Driver side.jpeg
Passenger side head:
Head Passenger side.jpg
Passenger side pistons:
Pistons Passenger side.jpg
Here's a shot of the pistons once I cleaned them with parts cleaner and an old T-shirt. They cleaned quite easily except for a couple that had some more solid/granular carbon buildup that took some hard wiping and spraying to clean up.
Cleaned pistons.jpg
I'm going to admit some really rookie mistakes here:
After cleaning everything up and putting the Buick heads on the Olds block (have to use Buick pushrods for correct length), I put the head bolts in loosely (with much difficulty) since I didn't have the torque wrench on hand.
1. Installing pushrods without removing the rocker shaft assembly isn't as easily done as I thought, dumbass. They kept falling out of the lifter and generally not cooperating with me as I lifted the head for each pushrod ...... several times. Once I realized I could bump the engine over a bit to get the lifter "down" , the pushrods went in much easier. Lol.
2. Sitting back and looking at my completed swap (minus the head torque sequence and intake)..... I glance over at the box of gaskets/parts..... only to realize
I didn't install the NEW HEAD GASKETS !!!!! Really? Remove everything, dumbass.
3. The alternator attachment bolts suck.... especially since the Buick heads didn't use the same holes as the Olds. Meaning they were full of dirt/debris. Requiring a removal (again) and cleaning out.
4. I removed the exhaust manifolds from the head in the car because I didn't want to jack it up and undo them at the down pipes. Besides, I wasn't 100% sure the exhaust ports between the two different type heads were at the same angle (Buick semi-hemi head, Olds wedge type). So having the manifolds on the downpipes and in place would quickly determine if I needed to go to the muffler/exhaust shop once the swap was complete. Luckily, everything lined up. Not so luckily, the manifolds were in the way of several head bolts upon removal/installation ..... requiring some real fitment issues .... and a ratchet strap for some redneck engineering to hold the manifold down and out of the way. Lots of grunting and cursing on this part..... Lots.
5. Having the ratchet strap ratchet mechanism up against the frame rail doesn't allow you release said ratchet strap.... requiring a knife to cut said ratchet strap.
6. Forgetting to remove the masking tape that holds the head gasket in place while positioning the head with no dowel pin or alignment pin to keep the head gasket in place ..... after installing all of the head bolts (untorqued) really sucks. Loosen all the head bolts again and lift the head up to remove tape, dumbass.
7. Finding all these mistakes AFTER installing valley pan gasket with rtv sealant requires you to scrape off and reinstall said sealant .... several times! Dumbass.
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