What a mission! But in the end, I triumphed! I now have an R33 VCT RB25DE head!
This was a 200ps engine stock, so let's call it 240ps with 3 litres under it and 500ps
with 15psi stuffed into it. 600 with 20psi :-) That's enough, for me.
Challenges:
Arrived around 2:15pm after ditching work super early with boss's permission only
to find that I didn't seem to have a socket to fit the head bolts. Then I realised they
weren't head bolts, they were giant cap screws! Fail. I didn't own a set of hex drive
sockets. But now I do, 20 bucks from super cheap auto, and the right size was
amongst the modest collection. This cost me around 30 to 45 mins or so, load tools
back into car, drive to shop, buy, drive back, carry tools back inside, etc.
No worries. Got the exhaust manifold off without excess drama. Cut a few hoses
and wires on the intake side, and undid a few brackets etc. Then with that all clear,
I undid the 14 main head cap screws and the head didn't budge at all. I gave it a
mild yank and no movement. Hmmm. Looked around the back of it and found an
m6 10mm head bolt through a tiny tab of alloy into the block! WTF, Nissan, WTF.
Undid this. Exhaust side now lifted a little, but intake side did not budge. Found
another one on the intake side at the back, barely got a socket onto it, but did,
and got that one off, too. Now the back of the head would lift, just, front, no. So
I looked and looked and felt and felt and didn't find anything, the internet and
Rob told me of a third tiny bolt at the front end near tstat and coolant plumbing,
but could I see it? Not for ages. When I eventually spotted it, I could see just half
of the head of it, covered in black oil/dirt, nearly invisible. Mangled the backing
plate for the cam cover to gain access, degreased it, couldn't get a ring on it, only
managed to get my 1/4" "power bar" onto it with the tiny 10mm socket, but could
then only get 1/12th of a turn at a time, having to remove socket from bar, and
rotate 90 degrease before having another go. Wonderful. Thanks Nissan! Note:
Do not try to remove an RB DOHC head with the intake still on, not wise, but yes,
it is actually possible, if you're a glutton for punishment like me.
In any case, I now have a bunch of helpful accessories for the RB30DET project.
Photos in another post later after I take and upload some... all I have now is:
https://twitter.com/FredCookeNZ/status/ ... 0616378368