> 1. Can I clean the carbon off the piston crowns with them in the
> cylinders? If so, what's the right treatment?
Personally, I just leave them alone if I'm not pulling the pistons from the
bores. If your engine was running half decent, that's not carbon (which is
relatively soft) but fuel deposits that are hard as rock. I don't like taking
the risk that a chunk of that can find it's way somewhere bad.
> 2. Same question for the valve faces and cylinder head. How best to get
> the carbon off?
I used a small "end" wire brush in an air powered grinder last time I bothered.
But I frequently don't bother, as I've not found that cleaning it seems to help
anything. Might raise the compression ratio just a tad, which in my book is a
good thing (more power, better fuel economy).
> 3. What is the thread size of the coarse end of the head bolts entering
> the block?
>From memory, 1/2" NC, which is 13 tpi.
> How about the studs for the manifold?
3/8-16
> 4. What's the right approach on reinstalling the head bolts? Just lube
> with motor oil or use a threadlocker? It seemed that some type of
> goo was on
> my head bolts as they came out.
I use anti-seize where they screw into the block, and install them finger-tight.
For the nuts, I leave the threads clean and dry.
> 5. Any other cleaning tips while I have the head on the bench?
I'm hesitant to recommend this, but I always take a flat file, lay it flat on
the sealing surfaces and move it around to see if it picks up any high spots.
It's not at all unusual to find some, especially around threaded holes and near
corners. But it takes a certain knack to put just enough pressure on the file
that it slides over a perfectly flat surface without biting in.
Good luck,
Randall
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