Well, i picked up a cheap 5 speed 1990 Civic Si a couple days ago for $500. Car is in ok condition and can use a little TLC. On the way home i noticed how much white smoke was burning......head gasket

I got a new full oem gasket kit, went out to the garage and started ripping the engine apart. Turns out the engine still have the original fiber/paper type material head gasket still the, it sure was leaking, lol

Just looking for any input on the best way to clean off the old crap....what is the best way?
Here's a couple pics of the car and where i'm at.........

couple cell phone pics



Engine ripped apart



decided to wrinkle coat the valve cover while i was at it

 

nice find clean even though paints faded

 

have u tried a razor?

 

Isn't there a product called 'gasket remover'? Apply+scrape off.

 

I haven't, is that what Honda dealers use?

Not sure, that's why i am asking. I know all the "newer" head gaskets are metal, and so easy to deal with when changing over. I posted this one, because it was original, never been changed....the style that Honda went away from. It just leaves so much material behind apon removal after all of this time

 

The underside of the head had that junk all over it too, you might be able to see what i am talking about

 

Not all 'new' head gaskets are metal. Most that i know of are the same type as your engine had on there, when i did a HG on my Cressida i used that soft type. They have their advantages, for one they form a better seal if your mating surfaces aren't 100% true, which is often the case with old heads.

 

i tried using a gasket remover when i did an a6/y8 swap and it didn't work worth a ****. tried scraping at it, used a razor, nothing worked very efficiently and i had been at it for probably 2 hours.

then i got an idea and a buddy of mine lended me an angle air grinder with a fairly high grit pad. it worked awesome and took all the old material off real fast and left a nice finish for the new gasket to mate to. i know this method isn't recommended by some, but if you're careful and don't gouge the surface, or use to low grit of a pad, it should work fine.

i've also heard people say these work pretty well, but i haven't used one personally so i can't say. 3m roloc bristle pad i believe is what it's called

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lM7IgqMAiA

 

Wow, that's pretty cool. I'll look into that, thanks!

 

D16 si hatch beat me too it lol.

 

shore thing man

indeed i did :p

 

Thats a nice find i wish i could find one for that cheap even a shell. must be 2nd coat of paint. handles are painted red? arnt they all black?

 

Actually, here in Canada, "ALL" 1990 and 91 Civic and crx Si models came with both painted mirrors and door handles. ALL EF's in Canada also have pillar mounted seat belts too

 

nice pickup

I used a razorblade on mine, little by little. But it came out clean

 

not sure if the dealers uses razor blades to removed em,but thats what me and my buddies use,its like the same concept of removing stickers off your window with a razor blade

 

razor blades not only suck to use, but you run the risk of nicking the block. using the angle air tool allows you to achieve a nice even surface, not to mention it takes a hell of a lot less time.

 

yeah thats true,but not everybody can afford air tools though.

 

ewwww gross!