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[Ecotec] VT Head install post port and polish

Lewie

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Very thirsty VT & VH project under way! YAY!!
Gurus, I've been doing a little home handy work on a decent set of stock VT V6 heads from Just Commodore Spares in Adelaide. I also managed to pick up a pretty comprehensive Dremel set for Fathers day and, with a few bits and pieces from work, I've found myself with a pair of home ported, polished and port /gasket matched pair of heads.

I've got the nod from a local head guru to say I haven't completely stuffed them so now I'm doing a little homework on what will be involved in installing them on the old 1998 VT. I've had a reasonable look around to see what I will have to unbolt to get the original heads off and do the swap but what I'm looking for is anyting you guys can think of that might sting me in the process. I'll be looking at a head change over a weekend with my worst case scenario being me having to put the stock ones back on.

Firstly, is a weekend of myself and a mate (reasonably car savvy) enough time to complete this?

Secondly, what will I need? Gaskets, run in lube, stag sealant, large hammer

Thirdly, What can't I see that will stop me from driving it to work monday morning and is excessivly fragile, sensitive, expensive if I drop or easy to lose etc.

Any help or hints you guys can throw at me would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Lewie.
 

vn calais manual

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youll knock it off in a weekend peice of piss, youll need inlet manifold gaskets, head gaskets, head sealant, a torque wrench, perhaps a workshop manual. coolant, oil (as u sometimes loose a bit into ur oil when removing the inlet manifold!). patience, and cleanliness :p. do one head at a time and watch what you are doing and you should be fine. some manufactureres of head gaskets actually recomend runing water for the first 150ish kms kms after headgasket change as some coolants dont allow the had gaskets to seal might be worth doing this. you will not need rune in lube and definately not a large hammer.


when removing the pushrods try to put them back in their rightfull spots. a white marker usually helps for this.

this is all i can think of atm!.
 

vxcalais_01

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You dont need any sealant on the heads, check what the gasket says first (If you do, use Hylomar Spray - Use this on inlet gaskets as well). Use Genuine Holden, or Felpro etc. Genuine ones are excellent. Maybe get some from the head joint to see if they will match your porting work.Get a Gregories as there are a lot of little things that need changing, o rings here and there for heater tubes and son on and some in the intake/plenum. Get some new, re usable bolts, incase ur headwork fails and you can then reuse the bolts.

What the previous said is correct in relation to the water. Run water for 2 weeks or so, as coolant has the ability to travel where water cannot, eg. cleaning/machine marks or lines on the head and block face. When the gasket sets go ahead.
 

taztassio

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teflon goo needed on ALL bolts that go thru the water galleries.
 

Lewie

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Very thirsty VT & VH project under way! YAY!!
Here is some of the work to date. Not quite finished yet but getting there. I have matched the exhaust runners to my pacemaker headers and one of the heads still had the intake manifold gasket still stuck to it when i bought it.

Any thoughts? Anyone see anything I've done wrong? I spend a decent amount of time making the short side radius nice and smooth. Hopefully when I get them on, with the effort i've put in, I should see some difference.
 

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Pub247

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looks good mate get some fan grinder to smooth it out if you havent already
 

Lewie

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Very thirsty VT & VH project under way! YAY!!
Thanks mate. I have an attacjment for the Demel that leaves a nice smooth finish and I've done the exhaust runners with this and it came up beautifully. I think I need a little bit more texture to the intake runners though. Don't I? I heard this while checking out some vids on youtube. Anyone else heard this? I think it has something to do with the fuel staying vapourised and not forming droplets on the way through to the chamber.
 
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