Powerstroke 6.0 - Cleaning and Lapping the Block Decks

6.0L Block Deck Resurfacing. This is a method I've used now for decades, typically just to clean deck and head surfaces, and also to dress freshly machined surfaces. Part of this posting is due to the frustration in lack of detail in the community of prepping the surfaces, and showing how extreme I had to go to repair the decks. In a cost-effective​ way.
It works, leave the unfounded criticism out of the comments, please. But open for discussion.
The issue with stones is they are too fine. I've noted in the videos you only need 150 and/or 180 grit paper, which gets you into the ideal Ra. Using these, you don't need to own a surface profilometer as I have; using the profilometer was to show what grits work.

[@toomanytoys]

I see some people are using my videos as a basis for their own, which would not be bad if they knew what they were talking about. Highlighting these from my description - The issue with stones is they are too fine. I've noted in the videos you only need 150 and/or 180 grit paper, which gets you into the ideal Ra. Using these, you don't need to own a surface profilometer found in every competent machine shop I've ever been to; using the profilometer was to show what grits work. The abrasing surface grit is not the surface finish you obtain; the grains break down and flatten. People who don't understand this have never done the work or measured the finishes.

[@stevestonacek7128]

What a great video. Trust me I will be using this video if and when I have to do head gaskets on my 2004 6.0. The information that you provided is priceless. I wouldn't mind hanging out with you on weekends to tap some of your knowledge. Thank you once again.

[@jacobwestcott4536]

Without getting awkward i love you, as many other guys with 6.0’s surely do! I have a few things to get in order before i start lapping but when i do i will you keep you updated, and keep you updated with overall progress on truck! Again i cant thank you enough for providing us with such thorough comprehensive knowledge here!!

[@toomanytoys]

I'm just trying to help as I go through my own issues. There are a lot of people out there that know more than I do, have more experience.

[@jacobaguilar6756]

Can't begin to tell you how much this video has helped me I'm doing my 6.4 and my grandpa showed me this same technique and thankyou for confirming that this is a proper way of doing it yourself

[@toomanytoys]

Glad it help Jacob. Best of luck with your project.

[@bt619x]

I have a 1 inch steel plate blanchard ground perfectly flat on both sides. It is .25 inch undersized from a standard sheet of sandpaper. I use a light amount of spray glue to attach the sandpaper and lap the deck with the weight of the plate. Having the full size of the paper on a very flat surface is a great advantage to keeping overall flatness on the deck. It is heavy and it does not move too quickly, but it is very effective. The total cost for the steel, cutting and the grinding was less than $150. I have been using this for many years. Depending on the block material and gasket material you will need anywhere from 150 to 400 grit. Great video!

[@toomanytoys]

Thanks. That plate would work well! Sorry for the late response, it seems I've missed a few of these.

[@alexayers2306]

I’m doing my head gaskets for the third and final time (knock on wood) using your video series. I can’t tell you how appreciative I am for your sharing of this process with your years of experience. So far, I’m about 16 hours into the lapping technique and the block deck is looking perfect. Thanks again!

[@toomanytoys]

Glad it's helpful, Alex. How has your head flatness been widthwise? Which heads do you have (18mm/20mm) and any o-rings? Tunes? Jack

[@alexayers2306]

Hi Jack, I’m still working on the passenger side but the drivers side is less than 0.001 across the width. I’ll be running brand new 18mm KDD O-Ringed heads. I run an SCT X3 on the plus 150Hp tune but I’m conservative with my foot. I re-read Larry Carly’s article and with your experience, too smooth is not a concern, correct? (I may have gotten slightly carried away.) Thanks for the reply and I’ll keep you posted with my progress. Happy Friday and Enjoy your weekend!

[@alexayers2306]

Re-read your question. I’ve not measured the old heads, concentrating on the block deck prep and the new heads. If I get time, I’ll clean up the old ones and measure. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@toomanytoys]

@Alex Ayers I'm trying to stay no lower than the 8 to 10 RA range. 180 grit gets you there unless you change the paper every full pass in one direction, and even then you are still below 20 Ra. I tried using 220 grit, but that can get you too smooth if you use it too long. So for this engine, my primary tools were 150 grit and 180 grit. If you are too smooth, I'd setup 150 grit and make a full pass in each direction and re-evaluate.

[@alexayers2306]

Thank you Jack! I’m overboard as my deck looks almost mirror like. I’ll be sure and scuff them up before the heads go on. (I’m not a mechanic by trade and I’ve no formal training, just a Do it Yourselfer eager and willing to learn the right way to have a reliable rig to see the sights) Enjoy!

[@jahcure04]

I really appreciate the time and effort that went in to this. I am guessing this is why oringed heads are less prone to head gasket failure no matter the surface finish of the block

[@toomanytoys]

Thanks. I think there may be multiple reasons for the gasket and re-gasket failure. The deck cleaning IMO is an issue, and I really hope the OE decks do not have this rough of a surface. O-ringing covers several issues by developing a very high sealing force and I think may pre-tension the heads in their movement. For these heads, I won't be o-ringing them as I want to see how this goes. My own R&D effort.

[@jahcure04]

TooManyToys quick question, did you rent or did you have to buy the tool to measure the surface ? i looked and it is not a cheap "do your block once type of device to own "

[@toomanytoys]

@@jahcure04 It's mine, not rented. Yeah, not your average home garage item. It's part of the reason I'm doing these videos about the engine work, because most people would never have the opportunity to check the work they DIY.

[@jdatwood7086]

12” pneumatic board sander with 80 grit paper and you’ll be there in minutes with perfect RA. Great results by the way that will work fine for you. Gaskets will really still well. I cleaned the deck after with brake clean and let it dry overnight to an almost rust haze and was fanatic about keeping it clean during install. I no longer own the truck but a teen does and it’s been taking a real beating no issues!

[@toomanytoys]

The Ra may be on target, but the flatness will not be as good. A friend tried that and I checked it out. If you do both the head and block like that you can end up with two convex surfaces being bolted together.

[@jdatwood7086]

@@toomanytoys makes sense, every bit of help these can get helps. I’ve used that method on the block with machine shop surfaced heads and had great luck so far. I always use fel-pro gaskets also.

[@toomanytoys]

@@jdatwood7086 It also depends on how careful you are. The big issue is how compressive the pad is on the sander. They need to have give for the bodywork, but for lapping a hard surface flat, you don't want flexibility. If the surface is already machined and close to a good Ra, you won't spend much time abrading.

[@Seeeeyaaaa]

Great Info! Thankyou sir for taking the time to share this video. I was working on a Honda B18C1 block today and wondering how i could prep the surface by hand to be good enough to use a Cometic MLS Head gasket which they state requires a 50RA or finer finish. I now have the answer!

[@toomanytoys]

Glad it helped

[@daveo532]

Great video. Most machinists, let alone dealer techs, have no clue as to surface finishes required with MLS gaskets. Gaskets have gone high tech, most machine shops are still small block Chevy tech.

[@toomanytoys]

I've found that too.

[@jbaker8871]

Super video not another like it. Love to learn alternative ways to do things with exceptional quality provable with correct instruments.

[@kluna1000]

What a great video. Thanks!

[@toomanytoys]

Thank you.

[@easternarmory7617]

Thanks for sharing your technique. I'm attempting to duplicate your process on a powerstroke 6.4 that has issues with headgaskets.

[@toomanytoys]

Just take your time and watch the coverage - How much abrading is going on per square inch. Even I ended up with a little more abrasion at one corner, even though I was trying to keep the plate as flat as could be. Not enough to be an issue.

[@johndkoop]

Once again another great video thanks. I did the same thing to my 6.0 deck and heads ,used a piece of 3/4 steel milled flat and stuck self adhesive 220 and 320 grit aluminum oxide, with Felpro gaskets. At the time if you mentioned on any of the forums that you were using anything other than Ford gaskets you were branded an idiot, Felpro gaskets have some unique features and are holding up well after 5 years of towing.

[@toomanytoys]

Thanks for the comment, sharing what you did, and for being a rebel too. I've known some of the FelPro people since the late 90s, they know their craft well. The methodology with a flat tool should never get anyone into trouble. If I can ask, with probably a good working OE surface, how long did you have to dress the surfaces to get them to your satisfaction?

[@johndkoop]

Honestly I don't remember, the heads I had done at a machine shop. I reworked them after I got them back but not to the degree you did to yours. The deck surface I worked them till the high spots leveled out, most of the material removed seemed to be around the head bolt holes.

[@toomanytoys]

@@johndkoop Thanks for getting back. The material will pull up at the bolt holes, I see that in the clamping traces.

[@rickowens396]

So far beyond my abilities but fascinating to watch. i know to lower my expectations of local shops

[@CHCH-yu5gd]

Hello sir, First of all, congratulations on your excellent quality demonstrations. I would like to know where I can get the red tool on which you attach the sandpaper.

[@toomanytoys]

Thank you very much. What I used was the lapping plate I use to correct the surface of my sharpening stones, along with a welding magnetic triangle and little super magnets. People have used other products; you just have to make sure they are flat. Plates, scrap metal, even wood. The sharpening supplies I get are from this source, and they have less expensive flattening products that can be adapted. www.sharpeningsupplies.com/Lapping-Plates-Flattening-Stones-C111.aspx

[@noneyabix4823]

WOW very informative!

[@bad05ford]

More people should watch this and they would understand why their "bulletproof" (deleted and studded) engine blew headgaskets again. 99% of the time it comes down to poor quality workmanship on the sealing surfaces of the block and heads. So many just don't understand this and think studs are the holy grail and are supposed to fix all the headgasket problems on these engines.

[@toomanytoys]

Thanks. From my perspective too as you can tell.

[@synnovevikstrom9841]

I proceeded with doing this and I've noticed some fall off at the edges of the cylinder bores and large hole features... Seems like the paper is sagging in the middle or pushing out at the corners where it folds, applying additional pressure to edges. Wondering if you noticed this when doing your block?

[@toomanytoys]

First, are you using a hard, flat surface for the paper to ride on? The surface must be free of any give, and the paper should be relatively tight. And the surface has to be as flat as you are trying to achieve. ANY convex or concave bow will cause an issue. The second is technique. You want to keep at or preferably below 50% of the tool from going past the edge of the block, and while going over the edge, put more pressure on the rear that is still over the block. In one video, I mentioned hand sanding vereer plywood being a good teaching tool. If you subconsciously push down in front or "roll over" the edge, you will get more abrasion at the edges. Superduty Service has a video of him using a bodywork air sander, which has a rubber surface between the paper and the bedplate. If you look closely at the block he does, you can see the falloff, the edges, and the cylinder. That is not what you want, and I would also not recommend the technique. I did have one corner of the block that rolled over. I noted it in the video where I used tracing paper to evaluate head-to-block contact. I mentioned it probably where I got lazy in my technique. However, it was the edge of the block, not at the seal around the cylinders, and the gasket would be compliant to make that seal. It's been fine for two years. It was also under 0.0002" fall off, even though the tracing/transfer paper showed it.

[@DrifterDavid]

Man you are amazing for sharing your knowledge. Im in the middle of this process myself and I have been watching and re-watching your videos. Super thankful you made them! I've also watched your other videos in the past. I especially like the electrical system video on your powerstroke. It helped me a lot when I was going through some similar issues. So I do have a question, how is this holding up a little time later?

[@toomanytoys]

I'm still working on it. I spend maybe 30x more time on the videos than the actual progress on the engine, and honestly, it's not a priority. But I am ahead of what the videos show. Thank you for your comments.

[@AJv-kb2pc]

When is it that you would need to use a thicker head gasket? Does felpro make them? I know cometic does but i still think felpro is better because the center ring it has. Cometic said they are working on a center extra layer head gasket like felpro they are calling it the MLX multi layer extreme they make it for a few cars so far already havent heard anything good or bad yet

[@toomanytoys]

All of the MLS gaskets should have a folded-over layer to make the fire ring, but what Felpro did was make the center layer that is folded a little thicker to strengthen it and add thickness if the decks were milled a small amount to provide a clean and flat surface - just as important as the head surfaces. The thickness increase is ~0.002", about what a conservative machinist would take from a block deck.

[@lusun8078]

Do you think torque plate is necessary in boring the cylinders?

[@toomanytoys]

That is a question I would leave up to the machinists and builders that pull the high HP versions. But as stock, the engines that have high miles per year and make it to over 500k tend to indicate it's not necessary.

[@lusun8078]

@@toomanytoys Thanks a lot!

[@brettb.7425]

Sounds like you have a stuffy nose so I bet narrating the video wasn’t easy. Thank you for taking the time to share some good information!

[@toomanytoys]

Your welcome. Chronic sinusitis despite under the care of several ENT's. One won't go any farther. I pick my time, but there can be months of issues. Sorry for that. My wife won't narrate.

[@brettb.7425]

@@toomanytoys no don’t be sorry. You do a great job! I enjoyed your video and have sinus issues myself. Don’t let that stop you. Keep making the great videos. Thanks and have a great day!

[@synnovevikstrom9841]

I just got a block back (different diesel engine but still iron) from a machine shop that took a couple thou off the deck and left, to my eye, a nice surface finish. That being said I don't get the impression the owner uses a profilometer... I imagine he feels after decades he can tell by eye or touch whether it's it's okay for Cometic MLS. My question is, if I wanted the ideal surface finish you speak of and some extra insurance in case the shop owner's eye is "out of calibration", would it be reasonable to use the technique you've shown in this video---starting at 180 grit doing four passes like you said, consisting of four angles with a left and right direction for each, with a paper swap each angle change (except for pass #4)---to get the ~10 Ra finish?

[@toomanytoys]

If you use Cometic gaskets, I would first ask them what they want to see as a surface finish. I've not dealt with them. I'm not surprised the shop did not have a profilometer; it's hard to find an automotive shop that does; it's more commonplace with the big industrial shops. You don't have to go down to 10Ra; 20-30Ra should be fine.

[@synnovevikstrom9841]

@@toomanytoys I'll definitely shoot an email to Cometic. Their website says a *max* of 50 "or lower". In that case, to get to 20-30 from a freshly cut deck, my intuition is saying maybe two or at most three passes.

[@toomanytoys]

@@synnovevikstrom9841 With each pass, wipe the surface down with alcohol or acetone and see how you like it. Also, when you stay with a grit repeatedly, it breaks down and abrades like a finer grit.

[@synnovevikstrom9841]

@@toomanytoys Spoke with Cometic. They echoed Felpro in saying "smoother the better". When doing this is there a preference for alu oxide or silicon carbide? Or does it all end up the same? On an aside, I've some questions concerning your Hertzian calculations wrt lifter rollers and cam lobes... would sending a message on FTE be good or some way else?

[@norman_sage2528]

I used to go to English Town Raceway on Wednesday night, 15 dollars, three runs.

[@toomanytoys]

Spent some time there too. We knew the Napp brothers, I tried to use the site for some of our brake testing, and our parent company (Federal-Mogul) and sister divisions had a working relationship with the strip (Moog/Fel-Pro/Federal-Mogul).

[@audirx8]

I built a honda k24 engine that makes 700whp. Had machine shop deck head and block. 500kms later blew cometic head gasket. I checked head stud tq before pulling apart and was still 80ft lbs. So what did i do? I got a pc of granite and spray glued some 600 wet sand paper and started hand lapping. Took about 6hrs to do block and head But now 1200kms later and 25 psi of boost its still holding up fine. When i started sanding all the highs and lows really showed up from what the machine shop did. It looked great to the eye though,but not good enough

[@toomanytoys]

Yeah, it takes some work! Some of the racing guys do that; there is a company that specializes in lapping engine heads. ri-engineering.com

[@audirx8]

@TooManyToys thanks for that link. My friends say i hacked my engine by doing this. I do know lots of people who had better success with this method over there local machine shop though. Ive seen people take a small hand sanding block to do it also,but id never do it that way. To small of a surface to keep it flat.

[@toomanytoys]

@@audirx8 Unless the block distorts under preload, lapping is the best way to ensure the surfaces are flat. The surface finish, though, depends on the type of gasket. Don Bailey has a good video of the hand lapping technique used in his and the machine shops I've visited, using the specialized table. kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4WqkIiPjsurbdk He has years of videos from his company, all good, all the way I was taught. Technically, my first head lapping was back in the late '60s in high school, lapped my Kart's West Bend 610 2-stroke head.

[@meTimetraveler]

5:39 i have never seen a motor with this type of firing order, assuming the left side is #1 , #1,2 and 4 pistons are at bottom dead center while #3 is top dead center. usually for a 4 cylinder 2 pistons rise and fall together and one piston of the pair fires every 180 degrees . i don't have the sound on so maybe i missed something.

[@toomanytoys]

Front to back: Passenger side 1-3-5-7; Driver's side 2-4-6-8. Firing order 1-2-7-3-4-5-6-8.

[@tymiller6992]

What Material did you use to block the coolant passages on the block? And are those piston Caps. Also in your opinion what's the best gasket to go with as far as ability to seal and longevity. Of course this would be dependent on service preparation.

[@toomanytoys]

I think Fel-Pro did their homework on these, and what I've used. All the details of the foam products, etc. and installation are covered from 37:20 to 39:35 in the video.

[@davidgobin3335]

What type of metal did you use for the block decking and what is the size of the metal plate? Is it feasible to buy from a local steel shop or does it need to be machined to that size? I’m in the process of doing my block now. Thanks

[@toomanytoys]

The most important thing is flatness. It can be steel, aluminum, I even know someone who planed hardwood. My size is 4x10, which allows for one half sheet of sandpaper. It can be smaller than that.

[@Nicky_Pin_It]

The Phil Collins background music is key

[@toomanytoys]

I was hoping it was for other people.. Thanks.

[@mikehunt7483]

Thank you for sharing

[@austinschrage8093]

Is the cylinder head finish close enough to an RA 15 roughness or? I'm surprised you dont don't take the aluminium head to a machine shop to be sure.. The block makes sense since it is iron

[@toomanytoys]

The heads are iron. Since I have my own profilometer (Mitutoyo Surftest SJ-210 shown in these videos), I don't need to take anything to a shop to get the surface roughness measurements.

[@markhull1366]

Love this video! Thanks! Knowing that I would have to rework a 6.0, my research lead me here. I knew RA was important for MLS gaskets. I was amazed how poor the surface was on this block. This video answered what to do. Question: O-ringed heads seem to be the answer for head gasket issues. Would O-ringed heads be more forgiving for poor deck surface?

[@toomanytoys]

They should be, but I have nothing to back that up.

[@jasonkennedy2348]

Hey. I am looking to assemble something like what you have for sanding down my block prior to heads being installed. I couldn’t quite see in the video how you managed to get the sandpaper to stay to the plate and how you mounted a handle to it. Also how you got the pins installed on the sides and what were those for. I really like that setup and looking to do this step sometime next week. I appreciate any advice on how to construct that sanding device you have there. Thank you!

[@toomanytoys]

The handle is a welding magnetic triangle, and the pins on the sides to hold the sandpaper are small super magnets. The plate is an expensive stone flattening plate with grit on the bottom, so it keeps the sandpaper in place so the little magnets work. If the plate was smooth the magnets would not hold the plate on. But if the plate was a little smaller, the sandpaper could have been folded over the top and duct tape used to hold the sandpaper on the top. If you use double-stick tape or any adhesive to hold the sandpaper, it messes up the flatness of the plate.

[@jasonkennedy2348]

I tried to call all over the place to see if I could get an experienced mechanic to come to my house to do this step for me to no avail so ordered to plate and weld magnet. Do I need those side magnets? Or will the weight of the plate itself and the right pressure be sufficient? If I do need where do I get those little magnets from? I am doing this with the block still in the cab but I have removed the A/C box to give room. I can also remove the oil cooler as I have to replace and the HPOP to do an update to it. So maybe that will give more room to sand/prep without any obstructions?

[@toomanytoys]

@@jasonkennedy2348 Stoning the deck may have gotten a better response. Anything moved out of the way will help, especially in-cab. Under the hood, I would start out with 120 grit paper to get the surface cleaned quickly, the position is a tough one. The sandpaper will not stay under the plate, and you will be more prone to have an edge catch. Sandpaper is cheap; I would just take a full sheet and trim so you can fold all four edges over the plate, then tape the sandpaper to the plate on top.

[@jasonkennedy2348]

I appreciate it…dearly. But the company UCF that I’m buying the heads from says use 400 grit then 600. Any disadvantages to this? My heads will also have the O-ring at the bottom.

[@toomanytoys]

@@jasonkennedy2348 If that is what they are telling you to do, I would retain their warranty. With 180 grit, I was able to get under 12 Ra; when I used 200 grit, I was able to get under 8 Ra and into the 5 Ra range. That's getting into the polish area. More than I care for, but you have a warranty to preserve. Did that give you a Ra or Rz target? I'm just curious.

[@jacobwestcott4536]

So the squence of grits is? 1st 600 2nd 150 3rd 180 4th 220

[@toomanytoys]

I first used 150grit to clear off the debris to not clog the finer paper. 180 grit is the main workhorse, replaced with new paper after passing left to right (as a description) at one angle. Angles are 0, 45, 90, and 135. If you do a second sweep with the same material, the grains are broken down, so they abrade like 220 grit. So, in reality, 180 grit gets you in a good range without buying 220. I wouldn't recommend 220 unless you had a profilometer; otherwise, you can get too polished.

[@jacobwestcott4536]

Hey bud, does the dia flat -95 lapping plate have the pins i see you using come with it to attach the sandpaper? Or is that something you’ve customized?

[@toomanytoys]

Those are super magnets I bought through Amazon. I have them in different sizes, but those did the trick.

[@jacobwestcott4536]

Thanks for the speedy reply!

[@jacobwestcott4536]

Is this sequence of grit lapping correct?

[@cdyoude]

Not sure if I missed it on the video but what are you using to protect passages, cylinder bores and lifters bores?

[@toomanytoys]

At 37:22 is where I start to show what I used.

[@cdyoude]

@@toomanytoys thanks man

[@toomanytoys]

@@cdyoude Glad to help. Let me forwarn you, though, based on my and others' experience. The little "noodles" used in the coolant openings can fall down into the block or heads, and that initially causes panic. You don't want them clogging the oil cooler. All you need to do is cut up a coathanger into long rods, look into the passage to find the noodle, and spear it with one or two rods. You can bring it right up, so it's easy to get out.

[@bad05ford]

I have to say your video's are great. The amount of detail is wonderful and really appreciated. I have no doubt after seeing the care and detail going into this that you'll have no further issues as far as headgaskets are concerned. One question though. are you going to stud or go back with OEM TTY bolts?

[@toomanytoys]

Thanks again. When I get to either the heads video or the assembly video I'll fully explain my view. I think the bolts may have an overly bad rap and the heads are more of the cause of failure. But we can't tighten down the head bolts like they do on the assembly line unless we have 10 friends with torque wrenches in sync, so that adds to the service failure equation. I do have studs to put in, but its more of a safety factor for over-stretching into bolt yield, and if this truck ever gets sold studs are now a conditioned response to quality builds.

[@bad05ford]

@@toomanytoys there are plenty examples of these engines making three to four hundred thousand on stock bolts and gaskets but a lot of it comes down to maintenance and not abusing it.

[@toomanytoys]

@@bad05ford Agreed.

[@over9000pontiacs]

Amazing work and info, could you please clarify what you mean by passes? Im a little confused as to how much time i should be spending doing this to my deck surface

[@toomanytoys]

A pass would be doing all four directions one time. Each direction got left to right, then changed the paper to do the next direction. My decks were incredibly bad so it took a lot of work. I've reworked a fair amount of motors, I've never seen a deck this bad. If you have an OE deck, you might be able to everything with 180 grit, and for the last pass keep the paper change to only when it's not cutting, the abrasive breaks down to a finer grit as you use it. You don't really need a profilometer, you can go by visual and fingernail roughness checks - even a first time gets you there. As I show in the head lapping video, 180 grit will get to a 10-15Ra.

[@toomanytoys]

I forgot to add, make sure you check the main width of the heads for flatness. These heads are tenting down the center, the location where the gaskets fail.

[@over9000pontiacs]

@@toomanytoys Thank you very much sir! I appreciate your time very much and both comments are understood, do you think a virgin 3/8 steel plate would be straight enough to do the lapping with? or should I try to find the plate you had

[@toomanytoys]

@@over9000pontiacs Be glad to help any way I can. I would check it against a good straight edge. I have some flat stock here that is on both ends of the scale. One with a bow and the other was flat. The bowed one was plasma cut to size. I know one person who ran a piece of hardwood through his planer and got it perfectly flat. He has been running his 6.0 for 2 years now.

[@stevestonacek7128]

Was the machine surface on the heads ok or did you have to inprove them as well. I have used a method similar to yours with a flat ground plate and wet n dry sand paper stuck to the plate with a thin layer of adhesive to surface outboard motor heads and decks for thirty five years with good results

[@toomanytoys]

I see you already know that. The heads video is probably going to be as long as this one. I've not used adhesive as I thought I would never apply it as even as the plate surface is. The older ground plate I have has bars on the edges to clamp the paper and it worked OK, this plate grit surface works very well to hold the paper. Thanks for sharing you've done this too. The technique really hasn't been that problematic that it appears to be from others perspective.

[@Seeeeyaaaa]

Question, if i was to try this method on an Aluminium block deck, what grit paper would you suggest? 50RA finish or finer required. Cheers!

[@toomanytoys]

Aido, give me a day, coming off food poisoning, so not moving fast. I've never done this with an aluminum head or block. But I have a large aluminum plate, so let me play with it, and I'll try to get you an answer. 50Ra is pretty coarse, but I'll see what it takes to get several different Ra's.

[@Seeeeyaaaa]

@@toomanytoys that would be awesome mate thankyou! Hope you're feeling better soon 👍

[@toomanytoys]

Aido, I made a short video for you and published it.

[@Seeeeyaaaa]

@@toomanytoys Thankyou so much for doing this mate, merry christmas to you and your family :)

[@toomanytoys]

@@Seeeeyaaaa To you and your family, too.

[@marcellemay7721]

Great video. I'm glad I got wind of you over at powerstroke.org. I just pulled the heads off my powerstroke today. The deck surface and the heads need this done. I better get busy. How do you keep the grit out of the cylinders?

[@toomanytoys]

I guess I missed this, with either the plastic containers or foam, noted after 38:45.

[@marcellemay7721]

@@toomanytoys I ended up using pieces of foam cushions. Stuffed all the holes and vacuumed everything all out before I pulled the foam, after the work was done. Worked like a charm. I actually used a small 6x9 granite surface plate as backing for the sand paper. Worked out great and turned out better than a machine shop would have produced. I did the block and the heads. 10,000 miles later and the head gaskets are doing just fine. Saved a bunch of money too.👍

[@toomanytoys]

@@marcellemay7721 That's great. The granite plates also work great. You take your time and think about what you are doing you can have really good results. I'll show more on how flatter this makes it even then milling once my sinus clear and I can narrate again.

[@angryclutch1]

I was thinking about buying a leaping plate so I can DIY. Can you please let me know where I can purchase these items?

[@toomanytoys]

You can find Lapping Plates from several sources. I bought mine from Sharpening Supply, but places like Amazon has them as well. Anything guaranteed flat will work, including some of the smaller granite plates, some can be found at Grizzly.

[@JDM797]

Another great video! Can the engine block prep work be done with cab on? I don't have access to a lift, but would like to follow this procedure if feasible.

[@toomanytoys]

Number of people have done the block deck in-cab. It's not something I'd care to do myself, but they did it.

[@LynxStarAuto]

The hilarious thing about Ford's specs is, that surface finish to them is unacceptable! Ford eventually went the way of saying that a rougher finish was ideal because it would help the metal "bite" into the gasket material 🤔😳. Where too smooth of a surface allows compression gases to more easily slip through the fine finish during expansion. Do with that what you will.

[@toomanytoys]

A rougher bite is true with the composite gaskets. But just about every reference I looked or talked to said 20-30Ra, and down to 10Ra would be best with the MLS. Just today I was reading an article about building a high HP 6.0 and the story showed they machined a 10Ra off the block deck.

[@michaelbegay9573]

Wonder if anybody at fomoco/international/rebuilders watches any of these videos n goes "oh, that's what's we're doing wrong, lets make it right". 😳🤦‍♂️🙀🙈🤑

[@toomanytoys]

I don't know if they watch, but I know the facility that build mine is no longer in business.

[@Bacongrease00]

@@toomanytoys probably a good thing eh. It’s amazing what gets signed off as acceptable