1962 235 head removal issue.
 

Today I was about to pull of the head from the block and came across a small problem. As I was about to pull the last push rod, I faced a clearance issue. Can’t pull it out because the push rod sits under the firewall concave and maxes out when it his the firewall. I’m not sure what to do because it seems obvious that I can’t pull it out with it stuck in there.

Also the head was coming off pretty easily, and I see some rust on the block. Pretty sure that means it’s been leaking for a while right? Hope I don’t have to resurface the block or the head.

Any help would be very appreciated, I would love to be able to drive my truck on Christmas.

Re: 1962 235 head removal issue.
 

Is it still protruding into the block when it's lifted all the way up as far as it will go?

Re: 1962 235 head removal issue.
 

Yes. It sits in there pretty good and comes out as far as the firewall will allow it

Re: 1962 235 head removal issue.
 

Lift tail of trans with a jack, tilt engine forward, should clear.

Re: 1962 235 head removal issue.
 

That's an awesome idea jayoldschool has. :metal: I had a GMC Panel that sat under the "tunnel" so to speak and I didn't think I had that problem when I removed my head once. Different year/series though.

Re: 1962 235 head removal issue.
 

Oh okay I’ll try that first thing in the morning! Thank you!

Re: 1962 235 head removal issue.
 

Dang that’s a nice motor!

Re: 1962 235 head removal issue.
 

I have heard of people drilling a hole in the cowl to enable removal of that pushrod and then plugging the hole with a rubber plug or similar.

Re: 1962 235 head removal issue.
 

That’s a good idea actually! Lol I’m not sure if should do that since my truck is pretty unmolested though

Re: 1962 235 head removal issue.
 

I would just loosen up tranny and raise the back Been there done that.

Re: 1962 235 head removal issue.
 

I ended up taking the size cover off and pulling out the lifter since the rest of them needed to be put back into place anyways.
Thanks everyone

Re: 1962 235 head removal issue.
 

What engine oil are you using ? looks very clean .

Re: 1962 235 head removal issue.
 

I’m not sure, it’s whatever was in the truck when I got it lol

Re: 1962 235 head removal issue.
 

Does anyone know which is the best way to clean out the threads on the block?

Re: 1962 235 head removal issue.
 

Is this a "trick" question? :)

Re: 1962 235 head removal issue.
 

Use a cleaning tap, which are made to clean threads without cutting new ones. Use some WD-40 or similar to help the tap clean up and not bind. Do not use a regular tap as you do not want it to cut the threads.

Re: 1962 235 head removal issue.
 

Take a normal bolt, cut 3 or 4 vertical slots in the threads and it will do the same thing as a cleaning tap

Re: 1962 235 head removal issue.
 

I’ve never heard of that, okay thank you for that info! Can I get a cleaning tap at Home Depot?

Re: 1962 235 head removal issue.
 

That sounds really easy! I’ll try that if I can’t find a cleaning tap.



Does anyone happen to know what the thread size is?

Re: 1962 235 head removal issue.
 

You can take one of the original bolts to any hardware store and use the measuring thingys to find the size. While you are there, you can get a bolt or two to cut slots in :lol:

Re: 1962 235 head removal issue.
 

Oh okay. I found a bolt. It’s 1/2”-13!

Just for reference this is the regular taps, not the cleaning kind right?

I’m going to still cut slots into a bolt I found.

Is there a certain I’m supposed to cut slots into the new bolt?

Re: 1962 235 head removal issue.
 

Sorry to respond so late, haven't been on my laptop all day.

That tap looks like a regular tap, not a cleaning one.

To cut the bolt, use a dremmel or something of the sort and start at the bottom of the bolt, then go in a straight ish line directly up towards the head of the bolt. You don't have to cut extremely deep into the bolt, just get a little past the deep part of the threads. Sorry it's hard to explain without a pic, but my buddy at the restoration shop I worked for showed me this trick. Unfortunately, I don't have a dremmel to make one, otherwise I would

Re: 1962 235 head removal issue.
 

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-900200

https://static.summitracing.com/glob...-900200_ml.jpg