Cleaning up

[frankerooney]

Hi.
  Just in the middle of changing my head gasket. I've got the head off, and the manifolds off the head etc.., now am wondering what the best method is for cleaning up the faces of the block and the head. May get the head skimmed anyway, so this probably isn't as vital, but could really do with some advice on the block. Anyone got any ideas on keeping bits out of the boes and oil holes aswell?
  Second thing I'm wondering about is the tightening of head bolts. Haynes says 40N torque, then 60, then 180 degree turn. This sounds like a big old torque. Actually a bit scarey - what's the likelyhood of bolts stripping? And what's the best way of measuring the 180 degrees w/o special tools?
 

[mk1]

Put some paper wipes down the bores to stop sh1te going down, and change the oil after the engine has run for a while, to clear out any contamination from the work.
Scrape any old gasket material off with a good scraper, don't dig into the metal. Then clean the face up with some wet and dry, spray the metal with some WD40 or similar and clean back to the metal. Get some brake cleaner or similar spirit type stuff to clean oil etc from the gasket faces before you re-build. Make sure there is no oil down the head bolt holes in the block and the threads are clean.
180 degrees= half a turn
Steve.

[frankerooney]

Cheers Steve,
  sounds like you've done this before! I'm planning on having the head skimmed so shouldn't need to clean the face of that. What, in people's opinions, is the best make of head gasket? I've bought myself a payen one - was only ?12.50. I think it's a pretty good make, so did I get a good price, or are they not so great?? What do people use to get the head bolts clear? They're only about an inch deep, but full of oil at the moment!

[golfvr6]

Use fine sandpaper and/or emery cloth to clean the faces up.
ALWAYS use genuine parts from VW, pattern ones won't last. Its a fairly big job, so do it properly.
You won't need to skim the head unless it damaged or warped, check for flatness with a steel rule, and look for any corrosion, particularly around the bores and water/oil ways.

[richandhazel]

I usually use a straw and carefully, as it doesn't taste nice, suck the oil out.

Personally I wouldn't have the head skimmed unless necessary.

Don't forget that you MUST use new head bolts as they are stretch bolts and that last 180 deg turn stretches the bolt

[adyh]

Check for warping by laying the head on a flat piece of glass

[frankerooney]

Ok, so I'm onto the last stage of me headgasket. The block is looking quite clean but I'm not sure if it's good enough. I've been using a scraper and plenty of WD40 to get all the old gasket off, and then wet and dry 1200 grit paper to get it shiny. Problem is it isn't all that shiny - in places yeh, but especially around the water galleries is looking a bit naff. I've posted some pictures - can anyone tell me what they think about whether I need to carry on scrubbing or if it's ok. The close up is of the worst bit where (I think) the gasket was blowing in the first place. I'm a bit worried as the surface is (slightly) pitted. Will it just blow again?
 

[mk1]

Looks like you have done a A1 job . The small amount of "peppering" around where the fire ring seals is not perfect but I think it will be ok.
Steve.

[golfvr6]

It should seal ok, as long as you use genuine parts  

[vwsystems]

use cotton buds to get oil from bolts holes!

remember to get all the holes clear as if oil is left in the pressure from the bolt will make the oil crack the block!