Removing Cylinder Heads - SBC

[CHEV 383]

Question for you gear heads. I need to remove my driver's side cylinder head so that I can have the back spark plug Helicoiled. I cross threaded it real good. I removed the carb and intake:



I then removed all the bolts from the bottom of the cylinder head (around the headers) and all the bolts from inside the head. The thing will not budge.

Do I need to remove the rocker arms to remove the head?? I was hoping to not have to touch the rockers and just leave the push rods in the engine.

Please help!!!

[JDL_Z28]

You got the bolts out from between the rocker arms? It doesn't even look like you could fit a socket in there without removing the rocker arms. If all the bolts are out though, it could be that they are stuck on the locating pegs. How long have these heads been on the engine?

[WMCCjames]

You have to remove ALL the bolts first...from that pic you still have more to go. Yes you will have to take the rockers off.

[Will]

Yeah, you've got at least 4 bolts to go, the ones in between the rockers. You're not going to have to take the rockers off. Just turn them so you can get the rods out. Be sure to label where they came from!

[Orange Terror]

Yeah, I can see a bolt head in between those first rockers. Like these guys said, they'll have to come off.

[JDL_Z28]

Also, there is a certain order you are supposed to remove/tighten the head bolts so the head doesn't get warped. I don't know how much it really matters but it can't hurt. The numbers in the pic are for tightening, to remove you should loosen them in reverse order.

[CHEV 383]

Sounds like there is a theme here. The rockers need to be loosened or taken off. I knew if I came here I would get the help I needed. I will keep the order in mind when I tighten them back on. They came off in quite a different order though.

Thanks for all the help. I will let you know how it goes along with teh Helicoil.

[csmith4153]

While you at it, you should remove the other side and install new head gaskets on both sides. I would anyway.

[Will]

Good call . . . the jobs already half done may as well finish it.