One of the valve seats dropped and so I'm pulling the cylinder head. I have been using a combination of the Ford Workshop Manual, a Chilton's manual, the repair guide available from Autozone, various internet how-to videos and hopefully some common sense. I've run into a couple of issues. The main issue is that I believe that I've done everything that I needed to to remove bolts/nuts that keep the cylinder head on, but the head won't budge a bit. Three of the cylinder head bolts are quite rusty and also have broken off about halfway down the threaded end.

It seems that some of the steps in the manuals aren't necessary. The steps (as found in the Autozone guide, the other two said to disconnect the A/C compressor which seems to be an impossible headache w/o proper tools) that I have omitted are:

Remove the engine oil dipstick tube from the cylinder block.
Unbolt the A/C compressor retainers and set the compressor aside with the lines still attached.
Loosen but do not remove, the four bolts and nut that attach the front engine accessory drive bracket about four turns.

So, I'm guessing there are a couple of possibilities.

1. The broken cylinder head bolts could be making it difficult. However, I don't get any movement at the seam between the head and the block.
2. The seam between the head and block could be corroded tight.
3. The combination of the weight of A/C compressor and the loosening of the bolts/nut that attach the front engine accessory drive bracket free things up a bit.
4. And last, but never least, is the possibility that there is something else I'm missing all together.

Anybody have any advice on what to do now and what to do to deal with the broken bolts?

 

If you managed to get this far you probably have some addl equip you can try.
What has worked for me in situations like this was to soak the broken bolt parts with a good penetrating oil and get a "left handed drill bit" and use a small bit first with a battery operated drill in reverse and try to drill out the broken bolt. Many times the piece will come loose when the bit bites.

 

Just like taking the head off my 1930 Ford Model 'A'. The engine is 82 years of age.
~Dump the coolant
~Spray the fasteners with KROLL penetrating fluid, or ATF and Kerosene mix, PB Blaster doesn't do a lot.
~I worked the head off by backing every head nut [you have bolts] off about a turn and a half.
~Start the engine and the compression will pop the head loose.
~Work it up from there.
~Once off, when cleaning the bores one at a time. Turn the piston down in the bore. Slather the inside of the bore with grease and turn the piston back up. All the carbon and gunk will be caught in the layer of grease. Wipe it out. Go to the next bore.
~While your cleaning the top-O-block have the head surfaced and the seat repaired.


~Q? Outside belt or inside chain for SOHC?



Of course you have already disabled the starting ability of the engine. I use a large 4 inch wide steel chisel [ground thin] to find a spot to carefully drive the wedge in between the head and the block. Then a thin flexible putty knife to go around the whole gasket. It's aluminum [?] and so don't do much 'driving' too fast. Work it around the block. A little here, a little there. Once you get an 'in' it's all gravy from there.


When I did my Datsun 310 head gasket on the day John Lennon was murdered that was a four hour job. Off - gasket - On. The hardest part of that job was disconnecting the exhaust header to the exhaust pipe. The head came off with everything on it. Intake, exhaust, pollution crap, induction, fuel delivery ... all of it untouched.

 

I can answer that one. it's a belt inside of a plastic cover and that's one of the first things to come off

 

I started off using a shop crane with some straps around the intake/exhaust manifolds. Nothing happened except the car lifted up off of the ground. Decided to remove the intake/exhaust manifolds to see if I might be able to get at the seam a little better. Stopped doing that after I removed the exhaust manifold, but before I tore my hair out trying to get the intake manifold off.

Next attempt was by removing the four center rockers and using chain secured by the rocker bolts. Lifted the car a couple of times and was about to leave it sitting off the ground (with jack stands waiting underneath) to see if it would loosen up overnight. One last shot I thought, and alternated lifting from the two left center rockers and then from the right center rockers, and the head came loose as I lifted from the right side on the first go round.

Now, how much damage to a piston head is reasonable to not replace the head? Not much I'd imagine. Two cents?

 

as long as the valve seat didn't hit the piston and put a hole in the top of it you shouldn't have to replace the piston. but in most cases the piston gets damaged if parts drop into cylinder because the piston comes so close to the head that there isn't much clearance between the top of the piston and the bottom of the head. it would most likely be better just to replace the head with a new one or one that has been redone. then again it might be easier to replace the engine as a whole and cheaper in the long run

 

There are some dings in the top of the piston, but nothing too terrible. I barely ran the car after it happened.

I was thinking that I would remove the piston and check to see it if has been damaged to the point that the movement of the rings is impeded. I also plan on checking the cylinder walls and connecting arms.

If nothing appears damaged, I figured that I would just put it back together after smoothing out any high/sharp spots on the piston.

If any of the parts are damaged (connecting rod, ring grooves, underside of piston) I figured I would just replace the piston, rod, rings and bearings.

Thoughts?

 

if I were you just completely rebuild that engine if you take it down that far it's been my experience that if you put the old bearings back in it then it won't last any time. that piston is damaged and most likely put a hole in the top of it. it wouldn't hurt it any to replace the bearings with new and have a machine shop mic the block and turn the crank and to check the block for normal wear and tear if all good then replace the bearings