The head is still sitting on the ground tonight, I stretched out the pushrod tubes a bit after painting them and decided to fix the thermostat bracket attach point before I put anything back on. It seems like last time I did the re-seal job I didn't stretch the tubes, which could be what contributed to the leak after I started moving stuff around to fix the alternator.
Anyway, someone decided it would better to cut the stud for the thermostat off flush with the case rather than unscrew it. So I tried to drill it out, using progressively larger drills until I reached the size specified for an M8x1.25 tap. I tried the tap, and it didn't work. It was removing pieces of the old stud as it tried to cut the new threads, and generally it just made a big mess. So, I got out the fixer. Drill the hole bigger, and shoot a helicoil into the hole. Problem solved. New stud installed.
The new tarboard was as much fun this time around as it was last time, and the time before that on someone else's car(read: It sucked). But I am loving the dremel tool I picked up last night, with a sandpaper roller I was able to clean up the edges after I trimmed the tarboard, and I managed to get it installed and bring every single tab through when I pushed it up against the firewall. Even new it doesn't look all that great, and the old tarboard seemed to turn hard as a rock as soon as I got it installed, but I guess I want to keep it stock so I put tarboard in again. Maybe next time I'll try something else.
I bought new sled tinware, the only kind I could find. It didn't fit. Insert the dremel tool again now sporting a cut-off wheel. After some trimming was done it sorta fits, and can probably be persuaded the rest of the way with a little touch-up work tomorrow. Did I mention how awesome a dremel tool is?
The tips of the valve adjuster screws on the passenger side are all mashed flat and have pits in the metal. Total crap, only been on there for a few thousand miles. Going to buy new ones, maybe spring for the swivel-foot dealies if the wallet cooperates with me.
I am going to try and get the passenger side of the top-end reinstalled tomorrow and then tear the drivers side off. Hopefully sometime this weekend I can put it back in and see how I did.
And I just wanted to send a big thank you to Mr. Bob Hoover for all of his contributions in recent weeks. It's just been really nice seeing a whole bunch of posts from Mr. Hoover lately. Keep up the good fight, Bob. You're in my prayers.
Chris