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Renix or HO head gasket for renix head on HO block?

M

Mike1331

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Folsom, CA
I just got my renix head rebuilt. It had 4 cracks, was warped and had one pitted valve from water intrusion. Sucker was tired. She's all fixed and now i'm wondering what head gasket to get since i have a 98 block.
And my head was warped so he had to resurface it, should i get a different thickness gasket than standard?


Second item: Does anybody know what to torque the crank girdle nuts to? It was only an item they did i think with the obdII blocks and my book was written before that. i have to take it off to take off the rear main bearing cap to replace the rear main seal but it doesn't list a crank girdle spec in my book.

super happy with head guy.
photo-36.jpg



$200 out the door for valve job, resurface, seals, one new valve, new valve retainers, and to repair 4 cracks.
 
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Can you post a pic or two of the crack repairs? Did they drill a hole at the ends of each crack and then weld?

Is this a new block / old head combination?

On some newer blocks (96 anyway) there was a locating pin in the rear passenger corner of the block that fit a socket in the head that wasn't there in older blocks/heads. If your 98 block has one you'd want the gasket to fit around that.
 
sure here are the repairs between the valves.
887aea83.jpg


You can still see the separation in this pic but the head guy said it'd be ok. I hope he's right.
0b4c855f.jpg


and the one from the surface was done w/ the hole method you mentioned. Repair is right above the water jacket.

31a51bf9.jpg


and the whole thing in all its beauty.

57265f6b.jpg
 
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i just realized my 87 head doesn't have the holes for those dowels coming out of the 98 block. Great, now i get to drill into my shiny head, or hope those dowels come out w/ vice grips.
 
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NorCalChris said:
I'd get the mopar performance headgasket. Goodluck getting those dowels out. Let me know how that goes, I've never tried that before.
Click to expand...

No time to order the gasket. I Need to get this on asap to make the con next weekend. Just gonna slap on a feelpro from napa. I'm going to do whatever i can to get these dowels out before i drill into my head. I may have to cover my block/intak and grind down the dowels so i can turn them w/ a wrench. I'm sure there pressed in though so who knows if that'll work. :flamemad:


on the bright side my cylinder walls look great w/ no scoring.
 
without those dowels in there, it can be a real PITA to get the head and gasket aligned without damaging the new gasket!

Get a couple pieces of all-thread that match the head bolt pitch and diameter and use them to help keep everything aligned.

P.S. don't forget to put the left rear head bolt into the head before you grunt everything into place-- it's kinda tough to get into the head once it's on the block.
 
Shorty said:
without those dowels in there, it can be a real PITA to get the head and gasket aligned without damaging the new gasket!

Get a couple pieces of all-thread that match the head bolt pitch and diameter and use them to help keep everything aligned.

P.S. don't forget to put the left rear head bolt into the head before you grunt everything into place-- it's kinda tough to get into the head once it's on the block.
Click to expand...


yes i know. jeep did a horrible job designing the firewall w/ headgasket replacement in mind. that driver side rear bolt sucks. working in this entire 4.0l xj compartment sucks as a whole. Intake touching ex.? Real dumb on amc part.

good call on the all thread.
 
The XJ engine compartment was designed with four cylinder and V-6 engines in mind. The year, '87, IIRC, was when the firewall got the indentation to accomodate the much longer I-6. That's why the radiator area is so tight, too. I guess it's the best compromise to get the better engine into a vehicle that would probably have disappeared if made to soldier on with its original choice of power plants.
 
Mike1331 said:
yes i know. jeep did a horrible job designing the firewall w/ headgasket replacement in mind. that driver side rear bolt sucks. working in this entire 4.0l xj compartment sucks as a whole. Intake touching ex.? Real dumb on amc part.

good call on the all thread.
Click to expand...

You can also cut the threaded extension off the driver's rear head bolt and relocate the ground strap to the next head bolt forward. Then bash the sheet metal edge just above back. Gives a bit more wiggle room to get the socket / extension in there.

Can't remember if I took one or both of the pins out mating an older head to a '96 block. But I recall the fit with the pins not being that far off, it might be possible to grind the head a bit so the pin didn't interfere with positioning it.

cracked old 0620 head with the pin sockets.

371385161_743f6f1ade.jpg


7120 head. You can see how it wouldn't take much grinding on the inside of the corner to make room for the pin. Not sure if the older heads are like this.


371385162_3d619ae902.jpg






Interesting repair pics. How did the cost of the repair compare to getting a jy head and having it rebuilt? Or was a replacement head not available?
 
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It was an old head I was running that ran like shit so I pulled it and put on a rebuilt 7120 head. That motor took a crap so I put in a 98 motor. I need to have a Renix he's and intake as I'm in a strict smog region so ere comes my pled Renix head. I bought the jeep in the palm springs desert... Never again
 
Mike1331 said:
It was an old head I was running that ran like shit so I pulled it and put on a rebuilt 7120 head. That motor took a crap so I put in a 98 motor. I need to have a Renix head and intake as I'm in a strict smog region so here comes my rebuilt Renix head. I bought the jeep in the palm springs desert... Never again
Click to expand...
 
Mike1331 said:
I ended up just pulling the dowels out with vice grips. Super was and the motor is all put back together now.
Click to expand...

If you have a good welder too you can just weld a nut to the stud and back it out with a wrench... I wish I could have done that with my manifold bolts on my head conversion but they broke just below the face of the head... Only $25 though to get them taken out...

Paint
 
THE dowels were not threaded in, they were pressed in and came out very easily w/ vice grips. Your talking about the manifold studs, i'm talking about block surface dowels.
 
well the motor runs and revs like a beast with the old head to the new block and my manifolds are finally sealed properly to the head. It got hot super quick though. I Hope i don't have a coolant passage way plugged or somehting. Thermo was working great when i took it out. It wasn't sipping any of the coolant out of the resi bottle.
 
Mike1331 said:
well the motor runs and revs like a beast with the old head to the new block and my manifolds are finally sealed properly to the head. It got hot super quick though. I Hope i don't have a coolant passage way plugged or somehting. Thermo was working great when i took it out. It wasn't sipping any of the coolant out of the resi bottle.
Click to expand...

I'm sure you figured out there is no difference in the head gaskets from the 87 head or the 98 block. My question for you is what intake/exhaust gasket did you use? the renix gasket or the ho gasket set. I'm in the process of doing the same thing except I'm doing a 90 renix to a 93 block.
 
Desertdave35 said:
I'm sure you figured out there is no difference in the head gaskets from the 87 head or the 98 block. My question for you is what intake/exhaust gasket did you use? the renix gasket or the ho gasket set. I'm in the process of doing the same thing except I'm doing a 90 renix to a 93 block.
Click to expand...

Use the gasket for the intake manifold you're using, not the head you're using. .
 
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