FYI sometimes the ground straps come off best by first unbolting the head and moving it forward an inch or two for clearance to unbolt the ground strap. Great work on the exhaust manifold!!

Just take the fan off along with the water pump when/if that time comes. Then they are both off and out of the way. But why remove fan for removing the one head?

 

Thanks Les I'll try this when I get the head unbolted, if I still can't get the ground straps off I can always cut them. Chilton says to remove the fan so you can take the alternator bracket off. I also see Chilton says to remove the oil dipstick tube, I'm seeing it's a royal pain to take out as its press fit in, people say they take the oil pan off and have to pound it out?! In the manual, it says "Remove using twisting motion" LOL. I'm thinking they just want me to take this tube out because in the step after it says to take the spark plug wire harness out which can only be taken out once you remove the bolt holding in this tube. So I'm thinking I will just leave the rest of the dipstick in for now it doesn't seem worth all my time to go mess with pulling it out, I think I should be able to get the head off with it still in. Let me know if I'm missing anything here and if there is a better way to get it out though!

 

Dipstick tube might come out OK, or might not - only one way to find out.
Now I remember. There is a stud or two through the alternator bracket that goes into the head. Bracket has to come forward enough to clear those studs and I bet the fan prevents that.
Good luck - you're almost there.

And my compliments on the way a first-timer is working and thinking and problem-solving. I think you're going to make an excellent engineer. Some people have the mind-set for it, and some people don't! Always strive to understand systems!

Gotta get you away from the Chilton manual, though and into the factory manuals.

 

+1 to the last two points that Les made.

George (retired electrical engineer)

 

Here you go (attachments). I would be tempted to leave the fan in place and pull the bracket forward enough to get a pair of vice grips or channel-lock pliers onto the stud and back it out of the head. Then the bracket can go straight up and out.

 

Thanks guys that's much appreciated! Here's the post you have all been waiting for. I got out there and just decided to take the fan off, pulled the alternator bracket off, pulled the valve cover off, pulled the rockers and pushrods out. I twisted the dipstick and got it free but it wouldn't come out so I just left it. Then at last, pulled the head bolts out. I played with the ground wires once I got the head free and moved up a bit, still couldn't get it so I gave them the chop and pulled off the head. The piston is looking good to me. Looking at the head I can clearly see something wrong with the number six exhaust valve, it's looking bent maybe, it doesn't seat right. I'm finding this really strange, I have all the proof leading up to something wrong with the intake valve, then I get in here and it's the exhaust valve?? Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

This is best-case scenario. Valve is bent or valve spring is broken or valve is seized in the guide. But looks like you probably got something in there when working on it and bent it. Get a new valve and lap it in with lapping compound - you may not even need a machinist. If you can see where valve contacts seat all the way around, it will be good for now as long as long as the valve guide is reasonably tight. Also pull Intake valve out for inspection. Put a new valve stem seals on both valves for that cylinder, and slap the head back on that puppy! Problem solved until something else from high mileage catches up. But it would be running until that time!!

 

Okay thanks Les, looking at the valve spring it doesn't look broken. However, while I was looking at that I saw this, the spring for the valve stem seal is broken and just sitting there. I'm not sure why this would happen? Also if there was a foreign object in there isn't it weird there are no marks on the piston or either of the valves? You would think the foreign object would definitely at least knock off the carbon on the place it hit around the valve.

 

Okay, I went back out to take another look at the valve. Thinking the valve must have hit something to bend it. Sure enough with a light shining on the valve you can see where it must have hit, I want to say it looks like it kissed the piston. But why or how I don't know, I guess the next step is removing the valve. I'm going to have another close-up look at the piston and see if I can see anything.

 

Wonder why the seal is a different color. Hmmm the plot thickens. Is the pushrod bent?