Single handed cylinder head placement

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10th February 2022, 07:55 PM
LandRoverGhost

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Single handed cylinder head placement

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

Attachment 85049 Attachment 85047 Attachment 85048
11th February 2022, 05:41 AM
BrazilianY60

Way to go man!
11th February 2022, 10:08 AM
pollenface

Impressive!
11th February 2022, 09:59 PM
PeeBee

Simply smarter! Love it when a cunning plan comes together.
12th February 2022, 10:46 AM
Brissieboy

Just a little concerned that the point contact with the dowels might deform the gasket and make a weak point for later problems.
12th February 2022, 10:58 AM
PeeBee

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brissieboy

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
19th February 2022, 07:40 PM
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.
20th February 2022, 09:06 AM
Brissieboy

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

But old gasket would already be compressed so maybe not a fair test??
22nd February 2022, 10:03 PM
MB

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6th May 2022, 08:00 PM
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.