I need to change the front head on my '86 GT. I spent about three hours last summer laying on a board reaching around the head trying to remove the spark plug threads. The next morning my back muscles took a two week vacation.

Questions: with my lack of strength, would it be easier to drop the cradle? When you were pulling the front head, did you stand in the trunk or lay across the engine compartment? Any advice is welcome. I changed the clutch and transmission using Ed Parks method of only partially dropping the cradle but I had to hire a 17 year old to push the transmission up in place. I didn't have to bleed the clutch nor put the harness back on but but it was hard putting everything back together through the wheelwell.

Thanks,
Robert

Hey Robert-I can't answer your question since all I've ever had are dukes, but next time you get ready to do something like this, email me a few days in advance, & I'll be glad to run up there & help & learn. I'm off most sat & Sundays, and sometimes on fridays. Maybe 2 50 yr old backs can get it done.
Don

Robert, I've never done it, but it would seem to me to be easier to just partially drop the cradle. You could remove the two rear cradle bolts, and with a jack, just drop the end of it down enough to give you access to the head from the top of the engine. You can also buy a tool that mounts in place of the dogbone, and acts like a reverse scissors jack, which pulls the engine back toward the trunk, rotating it enough to give you more room to work. A mechanic that replaced the front exhaust manifold on my son's old SE had one of these, and it worked pretty slick. However, I'm not sure if you have to remove the dogbone bracket when you're taking the head off or not...if so, this tool wouldn't work. Granted, having the engine completely out would make it a lot easier to remove the head, but that's a lot of extra work just to get to it. Just my 2 cents worth..

Hey Don! I thought you worked 120hrs/week, and had to trudge 20 miles to work, barefoot, and uphill both ways?

AND YOU GET FRIDAYS OFF?!?

Sign me up!

The heads aren't TOO heavy. I recommend laying a board over your trunk, and working lying down, OVER the engine. You should be able to reach most EVERYTHING fairly easily, once that damn intake is off. Once you get all the headbolts out, and once you've split the seal (this may be a bugger), just get someone to help you lift it up'n'out.

You have to remove the dogbone mounting to remove the rear head as the brackets bolt to the head and interfere with removeing the lower intake manifold. To break the seal on the front head, I put a long 3/8 extension in one of the head bolt holes and put a copper pipe in one of the intake holes to pry with. Make sure to use copper pipe so you don't damage the head.

Thanks for the good advice. Reality is that it's going to be work either way. I'll try the top method first. Probably limit my time on the board and see if I can get out of bed the next morning. You wouldn't understand if that hasn't happened to you before. Bifocals can make things a little more difficult also.

Don, thanks for offering to help. I'll probably take you up on the offer. I have shop to work in, a roof hoist and a floor jack. Three Fieros are parked around the back, an '85 formula and a '88 coupe that are parts cars. Perhaps I have something you need.

I wonder if it would help to disconnect the motor/transmission mounts, lower the cradle several inches, and then rotate the front of the motor about 25 -30 degrees while it's hung from the ceiling?

Robert

[This message has been edited by westtexas (edited 12-15-2002).]