Finally started putting the head back on my Moggie yesterday (until rain stopped play). Merrily clicking away with my brand spanking new torque wrench, taking my time and not forgetting to put the metal part of the heater pipe in place before starting.
Now I've just realised I didn't put the engine steady bar in place
Question from a buffoon - Can I just undo the one nut and put the steady bar on and retorque it, or do I have to slacken them all off and start again (possibly with another new head gasket)?
I've done exactly the same and just undid the one bolt. I'm not happy to recommend it as a good solution, however loosening and retourquing all the bolts is not a good idea either ;-)
Ray. MMOC#47368. Forum moderator.
Jan 06: The Minor SII Africa adventure: http://www.minor-detour.com
Oct 06: back from Dresden with my Trabant 601 Kombi
Jan 07: back from a month thru North Africa (via Timbuktu) in a S3 Landy
June 07 - back from Zwickau Trabi Treffen
Aug 07 & Aug 08 - back from the Lands End to Orkney in 71 pickup
Sept 2010 - finally gave up breaking down in a SII Landy...
where to break down next?
2013... managed to seize my 1275 just by driving it round the block
Provided you haven't run the engine it should be ok - but it should go on top of the head nut - with the long stud already suggested - and another nut on top to keep it on !
Heh, not just me then! I did worry when I did it, but also ended up just taking the one head bolt off to replace it. I *think*, at least on the 1275 head, there's enough thread to put a bolt over the top. Certainly there's enough that I've been able to do that with my heater pipe, I can't remember why I wanted to now, but I did it anyway
Pyoor Kate The Electric Minor Project
The Current Fleet:
1969 Morris 'thou, 4 Door. 2010 Mitsubishi iMiEV. 1920s BSA Pushbike. 1930s Raleigh pushbike.
The Ex-Fleet:
1974 & 1975 Daf 44s, 1975 Enfield 8000 EV, 1989 Yugo 45, 1981 Golf Mk1, 1971 Vauxhall Viva, 1989 MZ ETZ 125, 1989 Volvo Vario 340, 1990, 1996 & 1997 MZ/Kanuni ETZ 251s
Desires:
Trabant 601, Tatra T603, Series II Landy, Moskvitch-401, Vincent HRD Black Shadow, Huge garage, Job in Washington State.
Thanks for the replies. Unfortunately there's not enough thread to put another nut on top.
Hopefully I'll finish it tomorrow and .....start her up! (if there was sound on the Forum I could use the "start .... your .... engines" sound bite from Nascars .
When I take some snaps I'll post them here (do you just add then to your signature?).
Iddy
If they're small enough you can add the to your sig (although they do slow the board down, so smaller files are preferred). If you have a hosting provider (you might have one with your ISP) then upload them to that, and place a link on the board.
Happy Minoring!
Phyllis ~ 1962 Morris Minor 4 Door Deluxe
Black coachwork with Red Duo-Tone Upholstery
To forget the head steady bracket! seems like we've all been there! It's a pity the stud's not a little longer as standard, for an extra nut. I've also worried about undoing one nut, but must admit to doing it! I kid myself that if I do it quickly it will be ok. Who am I kidding !!
Also make sure the bracket is fitted the correct way. The leg of the "L", where the steady fits, points down which does make the end steady nut harder to access but ensures the steady is more horizontal.
Websites: 
. 
Yes, I'm prone to that too!