Head locating dowels

JimD

JimD

Waiting for Godot...
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I was wondering if the head locating dowels are available at any auto parts store or if they are specific to the X.

I was taking the old ones out of the block and destroyed one. The first dowel came out clean by grabbing it with a needle nose pliers and wiggling it. The second one seemed to be made form something other than metal. Any piece of it I grabbed with the pliers would snap off. :( Years of heat cycling I guess?
 
JimD said:
I was wondering if the head locating dowels are available at any auto parts store or if they are specific to the X.

I was taking the old ones out of the block and destroyed one. The first dowel came out clean by grabbing it with a needle nose pliers and wiggling it. The second one seemed to be made form something other than metal. Any piece of it I grabbed with the pliers would snap off. :( Years of heat cycling I guess?
Click to expand...

Same problem; one was fine and even and actually real good shape but the other (near #1) was brittle and I had a peice in the block and head. The piece in the block was a bugger to remove. The one in the head literally crumbled.

I got some from Chris O. but I didn't even bother checking any local "chain" auto parts stores.

-Tim
 
Thanks Tim

I guess I will end up ordering a set from Matt. He says it is important to shorten the dowels if you have a shaved head to be sure that the proper clamping force can be put on the head gasket. That makes a lot of sense to me. Not that I would have thought of it if he had not mentioned it. :)
 
JimD said:
I
I was taking the old ones out of the block and destroyed one. The first dowel came out clean by grabbing it with a needle nose pliers and wiggling it. The second one seemed to be made form something other than metal. Any piece of it I grabbed with the pliers would snap off. :( Years of heat cycling I guess?
Click to expand...

Find a bolt, a piece of wooden dowel, or just about anything else with an outside diameter such that it fits into the locating dowel. Then you can grab it from the outside with pliers, rotate it back and forth and work it out without crushing it.

Works for the locating dowels between transmission and engine block too....
 
JimD said:
I guess I will end up ordering a set from Matt. He says it is important to shorten the dowels if you have a shaved head to be sure that the proper clamping force can be put on the head gasket. That makes a lot of sense to me. Not that I would have thought of it if he had not mentioned it. :)
Click to expand...

Yep - I actually thought of that (can you believe it???) and groud them down equal to amount decked off the head.
 
Thanks Eric

Good idea. I will try to remember that. I think mine was toast anyway, it didn't crush so much as it literally went to pieces.
 
I simply made 2 dowels as I guess the originals were still on the 1300 head and thus sold with that head :dead:
 
What material did you make them from?

OK Mike, what did you use to create the dowels? Is there a specific piece of pipe or something you picked up at a hardware store?
 
I went to lowes and in their hardware bins(the slide out drawers) they sell little metal and/or bronze tube in like 1.5inch lengths. I bought a few sizes JIC. Once home I figured which if the sizes I needed and began. Since the dowels only need to stick above the head by a mm or so, I made my "parts cut" off of each end so that the natural rounded edge from the manufacturing process could be used and discarded the "center cut". Next since the tube was ever so slightly larger then needed, I had to make a cut along the center length of the new pieces so that they could squish together and fit properly. It was a PITA sorta, but well worth the $1.80 I spent on the tube. Only took maybe 15mins to do both.
 
That's a wicked stutter

but thanks for the info Mike!! :thumbsup::woot:;)
 
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