Single handed cylinder head placement

[LandRoverGhost]

If your not the youngest anymore (like me) , live very remote with neighbours and friends far far away and have to lift the cylinder head back on the engine on your own ... you're in for trouble....
But as we get older we're supposed to get smarter - I tried:

On the photos you see a nice clean bath towel & a series of wood dowels (wife's broomstick) between head and head-gasket on the engine.
I folded the bath towel over the radiator , glided the head over it on the dowels (one dowel in a cylinder pot to stop the lot from rolling away) and very easy landed the cylinder head on the dowels. Then moved the head sort of in position and inserted two bolts and took all but one dowel away and very easy again positioned the head to near perfection so that I could insert two bolts close to the center in their holes.
Then lifted the head on the back end, then moved the wood dowel to the end and smoothly positioned the head over the metal dowel in the engine on the front end , then removed the timber dowel and let the head position over that same short steel location dowel at the end of the engine. All in all 5 minutes very light work.
Enjoy !
Jacob

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[BrazilianY60]

Way to go man!

[pollenface]

Impressive!

[PeeBee]

Simply smarter! Love it when a cunning plan comes together.

[Brissieboy]

Just a little concerned that the point contact with the dowels might deform the gasket and make a weak point for later problems.

[PeeBee]

Just a little concerned that the point contact with the dowels might deform the gasket and make a weak point for later problems.

Good point, I initially thought the same with all those point loads

[LandRoverGhost]

Had the same thought - so tested with the old gasket - no indents at all. Just go slow and soft when 'landing' the head on the dowels.

[Brissieboy]

Had the same thought - so tested with the old gasket - no indents at all. Just go slow and soft when 'landing' the head on the dowels.

But old gasket would already be compressed so maybe not a fair test??

[MB]

This Beaut Forum is Truly Respectful and Educational Legends ALL
Wanker wrist keyhole surgery myself some years back double down both and out finally found ways too of getting tasks done alone but far from perfect


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[Arfa Brayne]

Pretty smart old fella. The dowels are a good idea.
I'm in the same boat - when I did mine i put the head on the radiator with a block of wood, then sat where your battery is with the legs down beside the block.
With a couple of old head bolts (top removed) in the block , reached across, grabbed head and used bolts as guides to drop it in the right place.
Think hard = work easy.