BX23 startup after head gasket, 740 hours, 22 years old

[tshep]

Got it!
I pulled the head for a tiny, but steady stream of bubbles at radiator cap.
I now do not have any bubbles, just a weird standing wave from the vibrations.
But no bubbles!

I got lucky; machinist found no cracks; my dad's old framing square said it was still flat.

Hard to start, I figured fuel and compression.
Pulled filter to injection hose, lift pump doing fine.
Each injector tube supplied fuel, cranked them down.
That left compression....
Pulled the glow plugs, and got fuel puffs and faster rotation (so I had compression before).
Plugs back in, tightened better, fired right up!
(Apparently plugs not quite tight enough.)

No bubbles, no white smoke on start.

Ran it for the 1/2 hour....

Now, how do I retorque without removing the rocker shaft, for the middle bolts?

 

[tshep]

Well, you don't.
I thought I would finally use the 9/16 'crow's foot' 'wrench" that was in my 1975 graduation tool set - it slipped.
So shaft off, retorqued head, shaft down, torqued back in very small steps.

Will do valves again after some run-in!

 

[tshep]

Did my final antifreeze fill, rode down the street to warm it up and top off and got a hole in a freeze plug.
I was that close!