HELP on head removal!!

[latham83]

every thing is pretty much off of the engine...my heads are off, intakes, distributor, wiring..etc.
NOW i need to clean the pistons and the crud out of the cyl WHILE the pistons are in the position they are. what do i use.and how do i do it..AND VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION> HOW are the pistons and the cylinder itself suppose to be RIGHT BEFORE the heads go on.fluid wise....what should wipe it out with..what should i coat it with..i need to know what is suppose to be in there?

ALSO...Is it a good idea to suck out the water ports in the block where all the antifreeze is with a vacuum??it seems like a pretty good idea..figuring soem crap also fell into there...
that **** doesnt need to be in there right

 

[Mustang5L5]

I used a wet-dry vac to suck EVERYTHING i could out of the engine.

Then i used compressed air to clean out the passages and blow away loost dirt, etc.

Then a little more wet-dry vac

Then i coated all the important stuff with motor oil.

 

[jrichker]

A little WD 40 on the pistons & cylinder wall is all you need. Head surfaces should be clean and dry - a wipedown with acetone or gas is good.

The pistons can be in any position, the engine doen't care. If you removed the distributor & have the pointer lined up with the marks on the damper, don't turn the crank. If you removed the distributor & turned the crank, don't worry. Make another post & someone will tell you how to re-install the distributor with no sweat.