Thats it I have to give up smoking cars they are just to dangerous pull the head and give it a service, half jobs always bite you on the backside long term so as they say do it right and do it once

Jon

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Roundies and Clubbies(except vans) are both ugly that is why I have Midas and a van
1293 Mini Midas Bronze,1275 Clubman van

i pulled the head off my 4age (corolla dohc) and removed the collets by putting a spark plug socket over the spring and hitting it with a bfh so that the spring compressed and popped the collets off (they all stayed inside the socket and i didnt lose any). but putting them back on without a tool was a complete pain in the hole ill tell you and thats with the head off! the valves arent vertical either, they are angled and recessed into the head. i slid the retainer over the spring and put the collets into place then forced the spring down with a pair of multigrips so that i could force them on once the spring was down far enough. the 4age is a twincam 16valve - so yes i had to do that 16 times!@#! never again i tell you.

with my mini i bought one of those $30 spring compressors and i had the things off and on (and stem seals changed) in absolutely no time at all. so i guess my advice is, pay the $30 for the spring compressor and whatever else for a new head gasket set, and save yourself a days work

the only reson i wanted to do it quick is i didnt want to pull the head of just to do the valve stem seals. its just i want to put a 12g940 on it and i have to wait to get the 12g940 head reconditioned. ill just wait and pull the head of and put the 12g940 on it. and yes ill be pocketing the block as well. pocketing is necessary on a small block isnt it?

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i like to drive on rails

It depends what cam you are running and how worn the valve seats in the head are.
With stock cam and the exhaust valves cut into the head a bit, and an unshaved head you can get away with it. But if you fit a cam with more lift, be careful. If building a sporty motor yes I'd pocket it.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

it has a cam and 1.5 roller rockers. mmmmmmm i guess im pocketing then.

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i like to drive on rails

Would undoing some of the head nuts to take the rockers off without removing the head entirely or at least loosening the other head nuts be bad? Wouldn't it be better to slacken all the cylinder head nuts in the correct order?

Sometimes you can just see things that are going to end in tears. This particular attempt to change valves seals with the head still on has that writing on the walls.

If the smoke is that bad that your worried about it then the cause is not the valve seals it is the valve guides worn and new seals will not greatly help. Added to that, the time taken stuffing around getting valves into position to take the springs off and back on again is really quite considerable.

Taking the head off - using a $30 spring compresser - changing the seals and putting the head back on is going to be less drama and faster and less likely to end in tears.

Get the 940 reco'ed, ignore the smoke for the moment if you have, and then fit the reco'ed 940.
IMO