Question on heads and intake

Reply #15 – May 16, 2013, 12:52:09 PM

Quote from: Pacerized;415256

. Honestly I have my limits for now with how much time I can put into the Cougar but I'd think I could do the heads and intake in a few hours and would still be very happy to get 180 hp.
Thanks: Charlie

I'd say just the lower intake itself would take you a few hours. You have to drain the coolant and everything, reinstall the gasket correctly afterward, my preference is drain the oil a couple times after assembly, etc. Hoses are a pain to get off.

A few years ago I could pull and reinstall heads in half of the available daylight, after battling/troubleshooting a motor issue. This was expensive with new gaskets each time, and I didn't have the 1 5/8" headers which now simply take hours to remove and install. This last go, I swapped up to some TW 170cc heads and a ported lower intake. I gave myself a week to do it but it still took a few weekends to make sure everything was right as I built it up. What if you need different length pushrods and need to order them? I did the full clay piston to valve clearance, re-checked my deck, cc'd the chambers, etc...that does indeed take much more time. You can also only really know which gasket is ideal after you have the heads off and can measure where your piston sits in the bore. If it sticks out for any reason (shouldn't stock), you'll want a thicker headgasket. Good luck finding the right ones in stock some place on a Sunday. Mine were ordered from a warehouse, but for next-day pickup (Monday).

Just as a quick swap with throwing good-enough parts on without measurements, I'd give myself 2 days if you haven't done it often or recently. It can take half a day if everything goes right and you know what you're doing, but all the little things add up. Just remember that you're pulling all the accessory brackets off, front exhaust, etc when doing the heads. By this time, you're only a few more bolts away from cam.