Summoning the energy

So this weekend I shall attempt my very first whiteblock head removal operation.  The girlfriends' 850 has a burnt valve (I think) and it won't pass emissions due to a cyl 1 misfire.  So I have to remove the head, figure out a way to remove the valves (without the special tool), make sure that the valve seats are okay, and then replace the valve(s) with one(s) from the spare head I have in the garage.  Well, assuming I can get that head off the engine since one of the headbolts rounded off and I can't for the life of me get that damned thing apart.  Wish me luck, people.

In other news, I bled the brakes on Betty after I nearly crashed her into traffic due to a complete brake failure.  It has a very slow leak *somewhere* - anywhere from the distribution block to the rear calipers.  One of the rear calipers was spewing fluid onto the wheel, so I suspect that - but that could have just been a loose bleed screw as well.  Keeping an eye on it though and I'll replace whatever needs replacing when I figure out just exactly where it's coming from.  For now it brakes fine, and I'm glad it didn't bugger up the master cylinder when my foot went all the way to the floor trying to get the damned thing to stop.

While I was futzing with the brakes I replaced a couple of wheel studs on the rear.  Apparently at some point a PO or a wheel shop broke off a stud or two and never bothered replacing them.  I found this out back when I finally started doing work on the car, but after I picked up replacement studs I didn't have a chance to actually fix it until now.  Was a LOT easier than I expected, only had to remove the caliper and pull the rotor to get the new stud into place.  I'd heard of people needing to pull the halfshaft in order to fit studs, but then that could have been longer than stock studs, as these *barely* fit without doing that.

Anyway, wish me luck for tomorrow.  And probably the next day, as this IS my first time with a whiteblock disassembly.  I suppose I should get used to it though, it's the wave of the future!