How do you remove the head on a 305 Chevy motor?

Answer 1

first disconect battery,carb(fuel lines)and throttle cable(might have a second kick down cable on some models),some models will have sensors and vacuum hoses that need unpluged from the intake manfold such as the water temp guage sensor on the thermostat housing and others(color code and disconnect) remove distributor and spark plug wires,remove upper radiator hose, remove intake manifold,remove alternator...depending if its drivers or passengers....powersteering pump...diconect pump from brackets lay to the side...no need to disconect hoses.....disconect exhaust manifold.....now drain radiator,,,, remove valve cover exposing rocker arms(this is also when you get to see how gunked up your engine is. If it is really gunked up. could be signs of future problems do to bad oil flow. bearings, lifters, etc....)......loosen rockers ....remove push rods keeping in order.....remove head bolts...stick screw driver in exhaust port to free head from gasket..... In this type of project it would be a good idea to take notes, pictures and label connections as much as possible if replacing head back onto engine later. Itemize parts in jars or storage trays. clean off all gaskets and replace with oem or better. Note when your putting everything back together. it would be a good idea to replace the thermostat and thermostat gasket. Clean the lifters and pushrods. Check the rocker arm springs. make sure the valves are clean and seating is good. check or replace the valve guides as needed(this is usually the cause of oil burn at startup). If this is a aluminum head and the engine overheated. Have the head checked out to make sure it wasn't damaged from the heat(Aluminium heads are usually used for competition racing engines). Depends on what your wanting to do after you remove the head(replace, swap, rebuild). Maybe buy a book on your type of engine(chilton, haynes) main thing is to do it right the first time. this type of project is not for the mechanically challenged. Good luck!!!