Hi All, I have a 1971 TR 455 with 1970 heads that I picked up last week. The previous owner said the engine last ran in 2001. At the moment I am soaking all the fasteners with penetrating oil and I plan on starting to disassemble it this week. Is there anything I should be watching out for? I want to avoid breaking something making a common mistake. Any tips? My only experince with disassembling an engine was a 350 Buick in 1984. I was helping out Big Brother. (He was most definitely the brains of the operation.) Thanks!
Normally, the most troublesome area is the timing cover, and the bolts running through it. The cover is aluminum, and the bolts are steel. If anti-seize compound wasn't used on assembly, it's tough getting them out without breaking something. Use alot of penetrant, like PB Blaster, or liquid wrench. The small bolts holding the water pump to timing cover, and the oil pump cover to timing chain cover, are pretty fragile. Other than that, I would say exhaust manifold bolts sometimes cause problems. Everything else should be, no problem.
