How difficult is it gonna be to do this myself? I say by myself, but I really mean with someone who knows what they're doing, helping if and when I'm needed.

How much is just a new head gasket gonna be, cuz I know the majority of the price is from the labor required, and also about how long do you think it would take to do? I've been so busy with work I'm trying to figure out when I can squeeze this in...

I would rather just take it somewhere, but the guy quoted me 1500 to do it, and 1800 if the head was warped and he needed to work it or whatever, and that's hella expensive.

 

deleted

 

It's a 4.7L

I'm not panicking:P, and I can change the spark plugs finally while I'm in there haha, but how much would a new head gasket be, and what if the head(s)(?) is/are warped? Is that something that we could do as well, or does that need to be done at a shop?

 

If the heads are warped you will need to take them to a shop to be cleaned, fluxed and trued up. Like Spartan said, take it apart and keep track of the nuts and botls. Have ziplock bags you can put the nuts and bolts in and label them. Get a peice of cardboard and push certain bolts through the cardboard in the same order you pulled them out so you know what order they go back in. Have some PB Blaster on hand as you will need it and anti-sieze compound. If you need, take pics as you tear it down to give you an idea of how it goes back together. If you need directions on how to do it all, I can try to get it all out of my AllData but that will be later today when I get home. I certainly wouldnt pay 1500-1800 for someone else to do it. Lastly, get familiar with torque sequence and specs on those head, ext manifold and intake bolts.

 

The gaskets are about $50 and you will also need a new set of head bolts.

 

Thanks weed, how much do you think this will run me if I can get my buddy to help me do this myself?

Oops, rubber posted while I was haha. Thanks man. I'm sure I could prob find a kit with both?

 

deleted

 

It all looks good to me. As for the question why it happened........I remember Ford 6.1s would block head gaskets simply because of too much cylinder pressure. Thats why the Ford guys loved the 7.3s more. Just something to keep in mind.

 

There's no reason to do both heads. You do not need a Cometic gasket, they're meant for high compression and/or high heat motors.

Intake bolts are SOFT. I cannot count the number of people I've seen shear off the intake bolt heads.

Get a chemical bath ready and a big magnifying glass to check for cracks. Checking to see if the head is true is vital. If it's not, a machine shop would deck it for about $50.

It is a long drawn out labor intensive job. If you aren't absolutely confident you can do it, pay someone.

 

You really need the special powder to check for cracks. Sometimes, the crack can be so hairline that you would otherwise miss it with a magnifying glass!
I would pay someone to do this process. Any machine shop will have the proper equip.
Also, the 4.7L is an OHC engine so you'll have to know how to sync the timing from each head properly to the crankshaft. This alone is not something for beginners. Unless you mark the crank/chain position and both head/chain positions, you'll never get it right on your own.
If your head is warped but can be shaved, Cometic does make gaskets that make up the difference of what you shaved off. You cannot shave off from just one side as the compression will be diff. A thicker head gasket matched up with the amount of machining can resolve this issue.

If i were you, I would pull both heads off and have them re-done with a 5angle valve job and some polishing on the ports and have a mild set of cams installed. I'm gonna guess $1500 including cams if you have a shop do the work. Mild cams generally do not need a custom tune and you'll still pick up 20hp from the cam alone. Or if the newer version heads will bolt right up with no major mods??? That i don't know.