KKtrips

You should not need to use an engine crane to pull it off - the only time I've had to do that is on a Jag which is an alloy head on a steel block with steel studs running through the water jackets so the alloy corrodes and swells around the headstuds. I've had a look at some EN1 Civic head pictures tonight but couldn't see any obvious hidden bolts. (see below) PS - tapping it with a claw hammer won't do fuck-all (if that is what you've used) they are made to be lightweight so builders can swing em all day long and won't have any grunt to dislodge a sticking head. You need something with a bit of weight behind it but also soft so you don't damage the alloy.. A copper-rawhide hammer if you have one or whack it with a grunty mallet but with a block of wood between your mallet and the head. Looking at your photos I can see a potential problem when you lift the head off, so make sure you get all the washers out that were under the head bolts so they don't slip under the cam and get missed on reassembly then get smashed up on start up - there should be 10 washers (and also check that you have removed 10 head-bolts - just to be sure - LOL)

Too much excitement for ya?

Hugs Rogee

What happened with foood. Mine was great.

Thanks for organising Beave - was lush as fuck.

Its been a long time since I've pulled one of these heads off but from memory there is a couple of random 10mm head bolts hidden the perimeter of the head which you need to undo to get the head off. It's been a long time so I could well be wrong.

T-t-t-t terry Teo!

Me is keen and I'm not sure if Shaz will read this but I'm pretty sure she loves steak so will be keen too.

Yes I promise. This is my one and only attempt at proper bodywork so want to sort it properly. No I won't. Cos patina is better than paint. I'm anticipating it will be off the road this entire wag season which is shit but its the penance I must pay.

Well the big job of fixing the rust has begun. Pulled the front sheet metal off. Deja vu from a few years back. I can't figure out for the life of me why my feet got wet every time it rained... Next job is to pull the dash out and then when I have the other half of my lockup back I'll pull the motor and box then completely gut the engine bay. Was a pretty good day today.

Looking smashing boyo. Jif that blue off the sidewall and post some side-on pics! Whose are the other rims you got sandblasted?

Al's Mum t-shirts are a must.

Having some "inner" tonight Niki?

Count me in as a definite now. All good if there are insufficient seats - I'll sit in the corner and watch with a sad face.

Could you coat the exhaust in ceramic coating (HPC) or alternatively header wrap?

I'm a maybe too sorry.

You are a filthy deviant Clint.

Currently 50/50 between the Masterton Drags for the weekend and this for the Sunday. Weather will be the deciding factor for me.

Just been told about this All Holden Day which is obviously relevant to my interests. If there are a few others keen then I'll take along the OS Banner to flap around in the breeze and we can rep the club. http://www.taranakiholdenclub.kiwi.nz/calendar.html Post keenness levels below.

Theyre called Barrels. TWL do them.

With headlights they have to have the appropriate Standards marking on the glass. Also check that they dip to the left. LHD cars headlights will dip to the right so you may want to be sure of that if the Standards markings are present.

Dizzy kit http://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/msd-84741/ Carb http://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/edl-1411/

I wouldn't bother too much with the cam and manifold if you are happy with the current performance. Do cam, manifold all at once with a pair of heads. You aren't going to get very much in return for your buck without increasing compression and head flow. For reliability I would definitely invest in a new Mallory or MSD ignition kit with dizzy, leads and ignition box. (DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT buy one of the cheap Pro-Comp generic chinese dizzys. It will cause many more problems than it would solve) SBC and BBC dizzys are interchangeable so would fit your BB dreams too. Also spend the money you would have spent on a cam and gasket kit on buying a new 600cfm Edelbrock carburettor. It will see you through whatever changes you make in the future and would probably be OK for a mild BB when you go that route. (or get a 750 and lean it out for a robust BB carby in the future)

Pretty much any aftermarket manifold is going to be better than stock. Keep in mind that 74 was right in the heart of the fuel and insurance crisis so all V8's were dumbed down to very low HP numbers and this was mostly achieved through dropping the compression and taking a few cubes out. I'm guessing your motor is the 307 with 76cc heads on it and 1.72" valves The best thing you can do to liven up that puppy is to put some higher compression heads on (you want 64cc and 2.02" valves) Best done in conjunction with an aftermarket manifold and one of them brand new Edelbrock carbys. But that is all relatively spendy and pointless if the bottom end is a bit tired. So it may be cheaper to source a turn key crate motor for not much more than the cost of a new induction setup. How much are you wanting to spend?