Can you put heads on backwards?

pwcracer · Jul 11, 2005

I am almost too embarrased to post this, but I put my heads on backwards. I've determined this by bolting the Alt bracket and power steering bracket back on. the long bolt in the middle just drops into the hole. When I try it on the back of the heads it threads in.

Can you guys bail me out of this mess?

http://home.comcast.net/~gbfan10/head1.jpg

93pusstang · Jul 11, 2005

take them off and put them on right lol

pwcracer · Jul 11, 2005

I was hoping I could get a helicoil or something and still get by with it the way it is. I have everything torqued down and the intake is RTV;ed... Etc..

my$100project · Jul 11, 2005

It's always better to bolt them back on the correct way, lol. They will work either way, so I've been told. Never had the chance to verify-nor did I ever feel the urge. Maybe someone else can verify, but you should be able to clean the carbon out of the holes--probably a lot of it, and throw some threads in the back---or front---- side of the heads to mount your accessories. I can't remember if the bolt holes are on both sides of the heads so you could just bolt up the smog stuff on what is now the back of the head?? ( the two small (12mm???) bolts that bolt the part of the smog system to the back of the head. They are small threaded holes next to the part where your accessories bolt into the head)

pwcracer · Jul 11, 2005

I am removing the smog equipment, and when i had the heads rebuilt i told that to the guy, when I got them back it looked like he put in one of those thermactor plug things, so I assumed that was the back of the heads... Like Ron WHite would say "I was WRONG"

GIve me a 50/50 chance and I will hose it up 99% of the time

TheUser · Jul 11, 2005

my$100project said:
It's always better to bolt them back on the correct way, lol. They will work either way, so I've been told. Never had the chance to verify-nor did I ever feel the urge. Maybe someone else can verify, but you should be able to clean the carbon out of the holes--probably a lot of it, and throw some threads in the back---or front---- side of the heads to mount your accessories. I can't remember if the bolt holes are on both sides of the heads so you could just bolt up the smog stuff on what is now the back of the head?? ( the two small (12mm???) bolts that bolt the part of the smog system to the back of the head. They are small threaded holes next to the part where your accessories bolt into the head)

Absolutely not. If they are smog-equipped heads, you need the thermactor ports on the back side of the head to bolt the piping to. Drilling your own holes in the back of the heads would require removing them anyway, so just turn them around the right way.

Drilling holes in the front of the heads would also be harder and more time consuming (a pain in the ass, as I've had to heli-coil one of my front bolt holes and it sucked) than just flipping them around. The heads should physically work either way, but the problem (as you've found out) is with the accessories bolting up.

There is NO WAY AROUND IT lol, you have to pull them back off and put them on the right way. Take your time next time and make sure you do everything correctly. Not saying you're a moron or anything, stuff happens, but taking your time and double-checking things will usually save time in the long run.

pwcracer · Jul 11, 2005

Im not going to be using the smog pipes anymore, and the other 2 bolts on either side are threaded.. It seems to just be the large bolt that would need a helicoil...

This sucks...

Curse · Jul 11, 2005

TheUser is right, since you haven't started the car you don't need to buy new gaskets. It happens to the best of us(not me ). Tear that sumbitch up and Git-R-Done. Good luck

MrKwik · Jul 12, 2005

If you arent putting the smog tube back on the rear of the heads then its not that big of a deal. You have to go to the Ford dealer and get the threaded inserts that go in the holes. Any decent Ford counterman will know what your talking about. The heads are phisically the same from side to side with the exception og the inserts being installed on the front of the heads so being "backwards" wont hurt anything. The plugs are kinda expensive and run from $15 to $20 each from Ford depending on dealer. I have no idea why the price varies so much but it does. I have also heard that Jegs or Summit sell them cheaper but I have never been able to find them there. One of the cars I have now had this problem. I didnt do it but the kid I bought the car from had put the heads on the wrong sides and I had to do the same thing to bolt accessory brackets to it. Forget trying to find a helicoil in that size, I tried. And the inserts in the back of the head are blocking the holes so you dont have to do anything there.

Boss 351 · Jul 12, 2005

haha I can't laugh since I tried to install the thrust bearing on the last main cap DOH! **** happens! I'd take them off and reinstall the right way! You'll always have to look at your f u c k u p everytime you open the hood!

CManT1914 · Jul 12, 2005

MrKwik said:
If you arent putting the smog tube back on the rear of the heads then its not that big of a deal. You have to go to the Ford dealer and get the threaded inserts that go in the holes. Any decent Ford counterman will know what your talking about. The heads are phisically the same from side to side with the exception og the inserts being installed on the front of the heads so being "backwards" wont hurt anything. The plugs are kinda expensive and run from $15 to $20 each from Ford depending on dealer. I have no idea why the price varies so much but it does. I have also heard that Jegs or Summit sell them cheaper but I have never been able to find them there. One of the cars I have now had this problem. I didnt do it but the kid I bought the car from had put the heads on the wrong sides and I had to do the same thing to bolt accessory brackets to it. Forget trying to find a helicoil in that size, I tried. And the inserts in the back of the head are blocking the holes so you dont have to do anything there.

Summit has them cheap.

http://store.summitracing.com/defau...earchinresults=false&N=0&target=egnsearch.asp

If the link doesn't work, they're part #TFS-51400265

Black1987Stang · Jul 12, 2005

I no how it feels i once tore down to my heads like 3 times in like a week b/c one time i put one of the head gaslets on wrong and other times i dont even remember but it sucked but oh well it was my fault. Let me tell you after i full tear down and build up I no every little bolt size, where every vacuum line goes and every little trick to get everything off easy and quick haha I dont care I learn from mistakes. Personally i would tear her apart and fix it I wouldnt chance it, you would be even more pissed if u did all the drilling and u did it for nothing so just get new gaskets, and redo it you never know you might find a problem and be glad u took it apart. (one person on here left a tube of rtv in the lifter valley haha)

1mild88lx · Jul 12, 2005

93pusstang said:
take them off and put them on right lol

Too Easy..........lol

pwcracer · Jul 12, 2005

It looks like I dont have to do any drilling, just thread in one of those thermoacter parts from the dealer or summit, and bolt on my brackets..

rd · Jul 12, 2005

The heads will bolt on and work fine either way.

The only difference is that normally, the inserts for the accessory bolts are installed in the end of the head that is used in front. Without the inserts, there is no difference. The inserts are normally a pain to remove, so it is probably easier to just swap the heads to their previous locations.

5spd GT · Jul 12, 2005

Yeah technically you do not need to remove the heads. Just buy a thermactor plug for the fronts...so the big alt. bolt will thread in and the powersteering stud.

This is of course if your deleting the smog equipment. Personally if you don't have you lower intake on and all that (you probably do by now) I would unbolt them and flip them around...but if you have the engine together and that is what you want to do...just delete the smog pump (smaller belt needed) and put the plugs in.

If you are going to delete the smog pump then you will need a threaded insert known as a thermactor plug. They screw into the back and front of your heads. Put silicone on the threads to prevent any exhaust leak when installing them. The thermactor plugs you will use for the front (same as back) will go to make the head holes smaller so the accessories can bolt up like your power steering stud and one of your bigger alternator bolts that go through you alternator bracket. The back thermactor plugs you will use just block off and delete the smog equipment’s previous hookups. You can get them at a Ford Dealership - part # F4ZZ-6E086-A or you can buy some from Summitracing - part # TFS-51400265 and they run anywhere from $3 to $12 dollars from what I have seen. Summit has them cheaper.

Put some high-temp RTV on the threads to prevent any leaks.

BlkSDnotch · Jul 12, 2005

Just get those threaded inserts from ford. Make sure the threads in the heads you are going to put those plugs in are really clean,like hot tanked clean or your never gonna get those threaded plugs all the way in. If they arent really clean your gonna get them half way in and they are gonna seize and you prob wont be able to get them out either because your gonna reef on them trying to get them to go in if they r going in hard like every other gearhead and they are gonna get stuck and trying to back them out is gonna just break the little slots in them your screwdriver is in. Anyways, good luck
Me

Can you put heads on backwards?

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