Or, Dammit, I’ve got to pull the head because the last exhaust stud is snapped!

I had finally cleaned out the gas tank, checked the wires, installed a new battery and was looking to see if I could get my ’65 Break to run and evaluate what needed to be done next. As I went ’round the engine compartment to make checks, I saw that the exhaust manifold nuts were loose, and some were missing. I managed to get a pile of 7mm nuts together to tighten things down and….

The very last stud was missing. Hmmm… could it have possibly worked itself out (like that happens all the time… never)? I took a drift of suitable size and stuck it in the hole. it went in about 1/4 inch. I guess that means it’s a broken stud.

At the back of the engine.

Next to the firewall.

There’s no room to drill that stud out in situ. I tried, and before bodging it completely I decided to just pull the head off and clean things up; take the hit. It’s relatively simple to pull the head and re-install it. The hard part is cleaning everything up to my standards to once it’s done, I don’t have to think about it again.

I took the head over to Automotive Machine in Utica, and they plugged and tapped two new stud holes (another one broke when I pulled the studs off for replacement with grade 10’s from McMaster-Carr). I had them boil it out and clean it all up. The valves looked fine and I decided that I wasn’t going to mess with them on this occasion.

Preparing the block for reinstallation:

I inspected the block, and, since I’m that guy, I machine-turned the exhaust-side of the head.

Next, I chased every thread in the block to be sure that they were clean, burr-free and ready to accept the new studs and cleaned up bolts that held the water jacket covers in place. Everything got hit with a wire wheel for good measure to be sure that it was going on “factory fresh” or better.

I then installed my Grade 10 studs from McMaster-Carr. They are slightly longer than the stock ones, but they fit just fine. Note the stud installation tool, available on Amazon here: link. This thing is 10x better and more confidence-inspiring than a couple of nuts locked together threatening to make a mess of things. Right tool, great results. Note the blue locktite for each stud. This will allow things to seat perfectly and prevent seizing if the time comes to pull them off again.

I also chased all the 10mm holes in the block with a tap, and hit all the mating surfaces with 220 grit sandpaper and a big dose of air blasted around to ensure that nothing was left over. I also cleaned the cylinder tops, checked for ridges and added a little assembly lube into each hole to ensure that it ran down and made the rings nice an groovy for the first start up.

I had watched a YouTube video about checking the lifters to ensure that they are all in good shape. They werent. Four of them were heavily pitted. I was able to procure a full set from Dave Burnham, unused. Assembly lube is a MUST.

Also got a new water pump housing, as mine was, well, gnarly. Dave Burnham also supplied the replacement quickly and definitely at a great price point.

Before Finally mounting the head, I chased the threads on all the head bolts and ancilliary nuts, and fittings. Everything was cleaned with a wire wheel.

I wanted to ensure that I used the originals wherever possible, but I wanted them clean and tidy. Everything got the wire wheel treatment. I have some “whale jaw” style vice grips to hold these. Take your team and make them awesome.

All the nuts, cleaned up, have little Citroen logos. I wanted them to be seen. It’s just a nice touch. Once they are clean and their threaded recepticles are also chased out, everything goes together without drama. Reassembly should be drama free and fairly clean.

I then assembled the intake manifold and the water jacket covers with new gaskets and dressings, set the head gasket from Citroen Classics in the UK, and put the head in place, torque wrench in hand, I did the required two stage torque. Here is the head in place.

Putting the valve gear together can be very fiddly. I also hit everything with a wire wheel to make it clean and pretty. I also deburred the rockers, and used assembly lube to cover wear on initial startup. The intake rockers along the front arm can be quite fiddly to get into place. I used some nylon ties to hold them.

Fun fact! Look under the exhaust rocker mounts when you clean them. You’ll see a “2” and “2a”, and a “4” and “4a” embossed underneath. Yes. It matters. Also, remove the spark plug hole spacer washers, as it is easy to remove everything when dissassembling/reassembling. Make it easy on yourself. I removed the water pump and fan, too.

The lower heat shroud over the starter connects to another heat shroud at the back of the motor which is locked down by the 7mm nut at the lower passenger-side of the water jacket cover on the back of the engine. fitting this with the engine in the car is totally blind and is made a TON easier by having the right open end/ratchet combination wrench. There was an asbestos cloth originally on the top of the shroud — I used some fiberglass and safety wired it in place where the original staples had been fitted.

I also wrapped the manifolds in fiberglass exhaust wrap for motorcycles to see if I can funnel more heat away from the engine compartment. I had some luck with this in an MG, reducing driver footwell heat a few degrees. Note the Ligarex bands holding things in place.

Here is a close-up of the bolts I used. you can see the indentations — that means that these bolts have deformed threads in the middle, which is a form of locknut, especially useful under high heat. You can also see the exhaust shroud top holding bracket. There are two. This is the rear one and it connects directly to the bottom shroud.

Your cylinder head should be tightened down now. All the moving parts should have assembly lube, and you should be bolting on the carb and hooking up the wires and plugs. This has been a very enjoyable step for me. I ordered extra studs and used them in the new water pump housing where the studs go, and then bolted everything up with stainless hardware wherever appropriate (it’s not as strong as high-carbon steel, but close).

I also use a LOT of Loctite, and ensure that every thread and mating surface is spotless. It makes the project nice when you make things as fresh as possible. The best part is the satisfaction of doing a job close to perfect, and knowing that even though you may not be able to see some of the work you’ve done, it is there for you or for whomever your antecedent caretaker may be.