I need to replace the timing chain in an 82 22r, will be adding the double row chain.Ive done this before many years ago on an 84 and i didnt remove the head, I pulled the front cover and removed the piece of head gasket and replaced it w a homeade gasket. It might have worked better but my dad assisted and tightened the bolt under the camgear too tight and cracked the cover under the bolt hole. i jbwelded it but it still leaked. Has anyone else done the swap this way? if money allows I will pull the head and change it w a reworked spare but money is tight now.

 

Pull the head...why half as* something. Put a new OEM head gasket and clean stuff up. You will not leak at the joint bewteen the head and the cover if you pull the head.

 

you can sometimes avoid pulling the head if you remove the oil pan so you can drop the cover down without excessive damage to the gasket and reinstall the cover without mashing the gasket. its not ideal but i've cut the gasket and used ultra gray (rtv) with reasonable result but it will always leak alittle.

 

Yeah, pull the head! I asked that question not too long ago doing the same thing....just don't get carried away like I did.

This is where I'm at now

 

Yea, thats what I'm afraid of ! As long as the heads off, why not redo the bottom end?........(funds). I made a gasket out of gasket material last time I changed one, I think the oil leaked from the cracked cover I tried to patch after it was installed. This is another motor w/o a cracked cover. Im gonna check compression and go for it if comp. is OK.

 

I've done this to reseal a leaking front cover since I needed to do an oil pan gasket anyway. Might have just been lucky, but everything sealed up fine and didn't leak again.