Tried the Engine Stand / Hoise combo, got it up to the top of the studs - but no more...

tried levers, hammers, 24hr soak in WD40 and more of the previous.... cannot get it over the last few inches.

Thinking of trying the 2 bottle jack method as shown on youtube... advice appreciated.

 

Others will post of course; this comes from working on a post-war RR engine with 39 studs that took weeks of patients to work off.

You've won already, you have it moving to the top of the studs, that's quite a bit ! You're working against this white aluminum oxide and rust from the studs, right now the head is just wedged against this.
Make sure it comes of squarely _ take a plastic hammer with "shot" in it, and carefully tap it back down. (Stanley tools makes a good one)
Take equal parts of acetone and ATF oil and shake them thoroughly and inject that mix down the studs. ( you can get syringes from a feed store)
Work it back up to where you had it, and it may even come a little further.
Keep this up until it comes free.
Working it up and down with this home-made penetrating oil is best rather the leaving it soak to break up the oxidized aluminum.

I find WD-40 is useless, it was never meant for this, it's a water displacement oil, hence "W" "D"...

 

As Jeff said. Any levers should be wood. White spirit (mineral spirit?) is an alternative to the acetone ATF mix. Check what the head gasket may be sticking to as the head lifts.

 

i agree with the viewpoint expressed in post #2. . once the head has risen above the block by an inch or so, most likely the only thing keeping it on is the misalignment and/or corrosion of the studs with the holes in the head.

i would proceed accordingly with that thought in mind...

unscrewing the offending studs by accessing the gap between the head and block, then pushing the head back down and pulling the studs out one by one from above may be your only solution. it may involve the studs destructive removal...

 

Check to make sure it's not hanging up on the timing gear. I second on removing the studs from the top with the head back down and seated on the block using the two nut method. If that doesn't work, raise the head back up, heat the studs at their base and use a vice grip to unscrew them if you're planning on replacing them.

 

As already suggested it is possibly the aluminium oxidation that is holding the studs inside the head. Knocking the head back down then trying to lift it again might free up the alloy build up. Another thing you can try is a mild acid such as white vinegar poured over the studs or some oven cleaner like caustic soda rather than a lubricant. The mild acid will break up the oxidation. The bottle jacks might help but you are trying to force a one inch stud through a half inch hole if you know what I mean. Best to break up the size of the hole so the studs slide better.

 

Cursory inspection of the studs is they are clean - no corrosion or rust, no calcification buildups… I think I’m having difficulty keeping the head level… as it won’t go down either…

I’ll measure the gaps either side and come back with more information

 

I have found that keeping the head level is critical and it seems to be more important the further up you go.
As with the other posts, I have had luck with the up and down method with some sort of penetration oil being applied with each move.
I have used small scissor jacks on either side to work it up and down. Nice flat surface on top and bottom which keeps the force balanced. My favorite is from a 1980 Honda Accord. It is useful for so many things.

 

I would not put caustic soda anywhere near aluminium alloy as it is quite corrosive (on aluminium.)
Acetic acid as found in vinegar is roughly 5% of the volume. It will work on alloy corrosion as experienced in head stud holes but it is slow.
Pure acetic acid can be purchased but is dangerous to the human body.
Mixing it with water to about 20% acid in the solution works far more quickly.
An acquaintance now deceased used to use this stronger solution on V12 jag heads which are notoriously difficult to remove.

 

Ok, got it off - and now im removing the studs - comparing them to a box full of NOS/Gently Used and inserting them into the new block one at a time. Issue is they dont seem to want to screw in.
Is it possible someone Tapped the holes wrong? Or should I just make sure the studs are clean as can be and force them in?

Also - the advice about not using metal to pry off the head was too late... so theres some fine marks in the head surface, should I skim or will i be fine?

 

I would definitely take it to a machine shop just to get it hot tanked and check to make sure there are no cracks or that the valves aren't leaking. A full rebuild will cost around $1200. I would opt for a cometic head gasket regardless. They are more expensive compared to the metal stock ones but seal better and possibly not require getting the head skimmed.

Also check out this guys channel. This is his playlist rebuilding a 3.8 Xk engine from a MK2. He's also a local in Phoenix and might be worth trying to get to know.


Studs should fit unless they are the wrong thread pitch. Don't force them. Try cleaning them with a wire wheel. Could be that the threads in the block are gummed up also.

 

Just don't have the machine shop check the deck with a straight edge.
They MUST check the length of the head for straightness where the cam covers mate.
If the head is warped there, then you must assume that its not straight where the cam shaft rides, that can be checked with a straight edge too.

The head has to be heated and made flat again before any skimming of the deck takes place. (assuming it's warped)
Sometime even line boring the camshaft journals is necessary.

It's a very common mistake for a machine shop to skim a warped head on the deck without straightening it first, however, this will result in the cam covers never seating correctly and they will always leak oil.

 

Do not force the studs in, get yourself a good quality tap and die set and clean up all the threads. It will make life so much easier to put things together with the threads cleaned up.

Nearly everything on the car will be fine thread (UNF), the exceptions are where a thread is in aluminium, those will be coarse. The brakes and carbs are all British Association threads and the timing chain adjuster nut at the front of the engine is Whitworth.

 

Seems $2000 doesnt get you much these days..

Ive taken the head, the inlet manifold and the water pump off - nothing else is usable - the distributor is siezed.

The Valves look like they have 50 year old bubble gum stuck to the flat/concaved surface, some comes off with a wire wheel, but some doesnt.

 

recently had a new-to-me-block installed and a rebuild of head and transmission. cost? $25,000. time? 15 months. i was given an estimate before the job began and it came in pretty much on target.

i didn't do any of the work myself. i consider the quality of the job to be average...maybe.