Question for DKP_Cobra

[linklaw]

Hi,
   
   I have reviewed your entire post concerning the restoration of your cobra and am quite impressed. I am in the process of having my head gaskets replaced and my mechanic has hit a roadblock. He cannot access the header bolts with the engine in place and cannot remove the engine without removing the headers. I noticed in your post, you show the engine on a hoist to be lowered into the car and the noxt photo shows the engine in, with headers installed. I wondered whether you could describe the sequence you used to remove the engine. Did you have to take the transmission out first? Did you have to lift the engine to access the header bolts? The engine in my car is a 351 Windsor based Roush engine. Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks. John

[dkp_cobra]

Hi John,
   
   you can remove the engine togeter with the transmission or without. Without is better but means that you have to solve the quite tricky job to remove the transmission bolts.
   
   But I think you don't want to remove the engine you just want to remove the headers. I have shorty headers and stud bolts. If you have also stud bolts it shouldn't be a problem to remove the headers with the engine in the engine bay. Just remove the nuts from the stud bolts remove the valve covers and pull the headers up.
   
   Do you need some pictures?
   
   Regards, Peter

[linklaw]

Thanks Peter,
   
   I would appreciate some photos if you have them. The bolts holding my headers on are too close to the footbox to get a wrench on them. My car was modified by Roush Racing and has some unusual features that are different from standard. Both my mechanic and I thought the engine could be pulled up to remove the headers, but the headers hit the frame and make this maneuver impossible. I will keep you posted.
   
   John

[jbottini]

John, call Rick 716-812-3938. Jim

[dkp_cobra]

Hi John,
   
   I am notz quite sure what kind of pictures you need. I think your application looks different from my. Here you can see the space I have to reach the header nuts:
   
   
   
   
   
   Due to the shorty headers I can also lift the engine together with the headers up:
   
   
   
   
   
   Hope this helps a little bit,
   
   Peter

[linklaw]

Thanks Peter,
   
   My header bolts are angled toward the ground and there is not even 5 mm between the footwell sides and the header bolts. My engine is based on a 351 and the block is wider than yours as well. I spoke with a guy at Roush Racing who confirmed that the sequence for engine removal in my car is transmission, bell housing, back plate, slide the engine forward, remove the header bolts and then lift the engine out. i will post a picture of the room I have to reach the header bolts next week. You will see the problem I have.
   John

[jbottini]

John,
   Not as bad as it sounds:  Seats out; 8 bolts; Carpet next out..unless floor wells are separate from tunnel, about 20 fasteners from tunnel, tunnel out, silly driveshaft out, unbolt trans or is it bell housing, slide trans back , hook engine out. You cannot take it out as an assembly;trans/engine together, add three hours or so to normal engine removal time.Jim

[linklaw]

Thanks guys,
   
   The engine is now out of the car and one of the heads is removed. My mechanic figured out the sequence to remove the headers from the front, reaching back along the footwell side. Once the header for the number one cylinder was removed, he was able to reach the rest of the bolts. Once the headers were removed, the engine was able to be slid forward and lifted straight out, without the transmission. Besides the head gaskets and spark plugs, I was thinking about replacing the clutch disc while the engine is out. The disc looks like it has alot of life left, but I figured I might as well replace it. Any thoughts? John
   PS. I will post some pics tomorrow or over the weekend.

[linklaw]

The head gaskets both look good, with no apparent failure that would allow oil into the cooling system. The front cover gasket is a different story. It is completely degraded and has apparently allowed oil to enter the coolant. There is no sign of coolant in the oil, however, and I wonder how oil under low pressure could be forced into the coolant, but no coolant would be forced into the oil. Has anyone had this situation happen?

[nikbj68]

Maybe it`s sucked in by the cooling water contracting after running?