Progress Thread Let's try this again...

So I’ve been working on putting on the bbK headers I got a while back, but I’ve been having a real hard time getting the old gaskets off. I’ve been mostly successful with warm water and a razor blade, but is this good enough?
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Can you get a drill with a wire wheel in there? Header gaskets are prone enough to leak when done right. I would want it as clean as possible.
 
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Can you get a drill with a wire wheel in there? Header gaskets are prone enough to leak when done right. I would want it as clean as possible.

Yes, I can. I would need to go out and get a wire wheel though. This stuff is like wallpaper glue from hell, and it's not the only problem I'm having, either.

I can't for the life of me get the driver's side header past the brake fluid reservoir. The lines coming out of it are in the way, and I really don't want to mess with brake stuff. The instructions said that sometimes you have to jack up the engine a little bit to get them to fit, so I might try that. I haven't bolted up anything yet, and I'll definitely get the rest of that residue off of the head.
 
I hope you have had something filling the spark plug holes (and not getting debris into the engine) while scrapping and warm water.

No, I didn't. Oh god, am I going to have to take the heads off to check it? Wouldn't any little bits of paper just burn off and get sent out the exhaust? It was more of a damp cloth than anything, and most if not all of the debris either stuck to the blade or fell off the side. I also vacuumed each hole to remove any paper that may have gotten trapped inside.
 
It will be fine. Just as long as not huge hunks of crap found it's way down into the spark plug hole (which I seriously doubt it did) you are fine. Just make sure moving forward any time you are working around an opening that goes into the engine you seal it up before scraping gaskets etc. Hit that with a wire brush and bolt on the headers. Let us see a picture of the driver's side header you are having issues with.

Chris
 
Do like it says.. unbolt the motor mount on the DS, put a floor jack on the pan on that side, ( use a piece of wood to protect the pan and spread the lift point force so it won’t dent the pan) and jack it up. The freakin header will fall out. If your steering shaft goes through some tube in that header, that’ll have to be removed as well before you can get it to come out.
 
BBK shortubes should fall right into place. I had mine on and off twice a few months back,no issues. I know all cars are different,but I'm not seeing how the brake reservoir is on the way.

It‘s more the brake lines than the reservoir. I’m sure there’s some combination of twists and turns I can do to get it to slide in, but it’s not working right now.
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it’s weird, because everything I’ve read said that the passenger side had clearance issues, but for me it just dropped right in.
I picked up some wire brushes and a drill brush. I’m waiting for the drill to charge and doing what I can with the manual brushes. What should I use to cover the spark plug holes? Painter’s tape?
 
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It‘s more the brake lines than the reservoir. I’m sure there’s some combination of twists and turns I can do to get it to slide in, but it’s not working right now.
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it’s weird, because everything I’ve read said that the passenger side had clearance issues, but for me it just dropped right in.
I picked up some wire brushes and a drill brush. I’m waiting for the drill to charge and doing what I can with the manual brushes. What should I use to cover the spark plug holes? Painter’s tape?

All your smog stuff is gone from the passenger side, otherwise it would be a little more difficult for that one.
 
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OK, Those are not the standard shorty headers. Those are the equal length shorty headers (they do loops). I thought this was your issue. The only way that header is going in is if you loosen the motor mount and jack up the engine like Mike said.
 
Alright, well I got the passenger side bolted to the engine. All that's left to do is jack up the car, jack up the engine, bolt up the driver side, and bolt up the H-pipe, which I think I'm going to do after work tomorrow.

What's the safest place to put jack stands? I thought the frame rails, but most of the videos I've seen put them on the control arms. I tried jacking up the car and putting it on the ramps, but I couldn't get it high enough for the tires to clear.
 
Alright, well I got the passenger side bolted to the engine. All that's left to do is jack up the car, jack up the engine, bolt up the driver side, and bolt up the H-pipe, which I think I'm going to do after work tomorrow.

What's the safest place to put jack stands? I thought the frame rails, but most of the videos I've seen put them on the control arms. I tried jacking up the car and putting it on the ramps, but I couldn't get it high enough for the tires to clear.

Block of wood on the jack pad. Then under the center of k member. Should get you high enough to get ramps under. Or jack stands under control arms is ok too. I actually use the ramps, and I put a set of stands. Not 100% trusting of these composite ramps I have.
 
Block of wood on the jack pad. Then under the center of k member. Should get you high enough to get ramps under. Or jack stands under control arms is ok too. I actually use the ramps, and I put a set of stands. Not 100% trusting of these composite ramps I have.

Thats what I do too, and my heart still races when I’m under the car. The oil change was fine because I had room to maneuver and roll around, but these exhaust flanges are a lot tougher to get to and there’s a lot less space.
 
I finally caved and had the car towed over to the restoration shop to get the header job finished. I figured I was going to have them look the car over anyway so I might as well have the rest of the job done right. It's a pretty neat place, nice local shop. As soon as the car was off the truck they popped the hood and pushed the car into the garage from the radiator housing so they wouldn't touch the paint. I feel like the car is in good hands.

The owner of the shop said it would probably be done by the end of the day tomorrow. .
 
Thats what I do too, and my heart still races when I’m under the car. The oil change was fine because I had room to maneuver and roll around, but these exhaust flanges are a lot tougher to get to and there’s a lot less space.
I sometimes fall asleep under my car that’s on jack stands...That‘s why they call them jack STANDS.