head removal 144 engine 61 comet

[61 Waycrosscomet]

So I am trying to remove the head from the block. Rocker arm removed, head bolts removed(13 right?). No way to remove exhaust manifold as the rusted
bolts underside are impossible to work at in the car. So I disconnected it from the exhaust pipe joint. Carb is removed. radiator fluid drained from
block.
I cannot see anything else holding the head in place. I left the thermostat in place as well as that is only bolted to head.

tap, tap, tapping away with rubber mallet. It seems the back of the head is loose but the front (by radiator) is still held tight.
I am open to suggestions.
(again the exhaust manifold bolts are so badly rusted and about impossible to get to the underside manifold bolts, that i opted to leave it on,
as I've seen some do in videos, easier to remove when the head is out).
Shop manual says not to pry with screw drivers.

thanks. john.m

[61 Waycrosscomet]

Oh duh, 14 bolts. I missed one. Where the ground from battery goes. Is a bolt within a bolt. so to speak. So stoopid!!
got it, head is loose.

[61 Waycrosscomet]

so, with the head removed here are 2 images of cylinder one. there is alot of oily gunk, you can actually push on it and squeeze some oily stuff
onto finger. cylinder 2 is not as bad, cylinder 3 is more like 1. 4,5 and 6 are ok. bit burnt black looking but dry.
The head gasket looks ok as far as I can tell, can't see any 'blow outs' or 'blow throughs' leakage?
Could bad rings be causing this? again, the original issue is alot of smoke on startup, then clears, but not completely. smokes blue after it warms
up but not like at startup.
If I am at this point, would it be good to just replace the rings? Or just do the head gasket and hope for the best? thanks. john.m

[pfleuret]

You mentioned a lot of blue smoke at startup then less. That would make me think of worn valve guides and or seals. Letting oil seep down into the combustion chamber.

You mentioned a lot of white smoke at startup. That makes me think of water seeping into the combustion chamber from somewhere.

Hard to tell much from the photos. I would examine both sides of the gasket carefully and both the head surface and block surface looking for anything suspicious.

[61 Waycrosscomet]

I did replace all the valve stem seals about a month ago. The original ones were all busted up, only one was intact. Thought that was for sure
the issue.
So I slid the stem seals down over the 'valve stem guide'? but when I pulled the head i noticed all the valve stem seals had shifted upward.
Not sure if this is normal. Not even sure what keeps the valve stem seals in place. see closeup photo of 2 seals through the springs, you can
see the seal is not down near the base but instead near the top. I put them all on at base over that wide metal ring around the stem. The
shop manual doesn't say anything other than how to replace them. ie, compress spring, remove inserts, slide on new seal...etc.

[pfleuret]

Valve seals up above the guide or boss won’t control oil. So that is part explanation or maybe whole explanation of your blue smoke problem.

Are all 12 seals high?

Have you checked clearance of valve stems in the valve guides? Might as well do that now you have the head off.

Too much wear and clearance also lets too much oil go down the stem.

[61 Waycrosscomet]

have not checked the valve stem clearance in boss.
I did see from the company that made the stem seals(Fel-Pro), (and other sites), that the valve stem seals actually does move.
I have the 'umbrella' kind of seal, which is identical to the originals.

[pfleuret]

Yes if the umbrella seal is keeping oil from splashing on the valve stem it is ok.