Now that the engine was out, getting at the hard-to-reach spaces was a lot easier. Having the engine out also exposed a LOT of dirt, oil and grime that had accumulated over the years. The crumbling hood liner really made a mess when it dropped onto the engine and mixed with oil (I had a breather line under the intake split a couple years ago, leaving oil in the valley on top of the engine). Here's a shot of the passenger side exhaust manifold:
The rear of the engine (you can see the oil under the intake):
The driver's side shows how bad the oil pan gasket was leaking:
My replacement heads arrived, with new valves, seals, guides, etc.:
My sons were almost as excited as I was about their arrival:
I got the driver's side cam cover off, along with the driver's side exhaust manifold:
Intake manifold and fuel rails removed:
Throttle body and oil filler neck removed to expose a lot of oil:
After some time cleaning with mineral spirits, rags and a set of dental picks:
The collection of parts that need cleaning is growing. I need a bigger garage. Yes, that's a snowblower in the top right of the picture, and yes it has snow on it. Even with a kerosene heater, the garage is cold enough that the snow hasn't melted in over two weeks.
