Hello everyone,
I was driving my 71 350 Camaro SS and suddenly heard a loud hissing noise coming from the engine compartment, which turned into a loud ticking noise within minutes. Made it home fortunately and began inspecting the car. I removed the valve cover to discover the valve spring had broke over the #7 cylinder.
With this being said, I am very limited as to what repairs I can make in my parking garage. I know I have to remove the cylinder heads, but should I rebuild them or order a brand new one that already has all the components on it? If I go that route any recommendations on which headers to purchase? My 350 has barely been modified so any guidance provided will do me wonders. Thank you for your assistance,
Adam

p.s. I have photos but not sure how to load them...

 

You could replace the spring without removing the head, as long as no other damage has been done. All that is required is a spring compressor and an air compressor with a spark plug hole adapter to blow air in the cylinder and keep the valve from falling in. Or you could use the old school method and bring the cylinder to TDC and shove clothes line into the spark plug hole to keep the valve closed.

 

The compressed air method would probably be the better way to go. If he then hears a loud gushing of air with the valve closed, it's sure that something got whacked.

 

I have disassembled the engine down to the Cylinder Heads. I believe the head gasket is blown due to the fact that when I removed my #7 spark plug coolant leaked out and the spark plug looked like it exploded. I am at a crossroad now.
1. Should I remove the Cylinder heads and take them to a machine shop for a rebuild?
2. Purchase new Cylinder Heads to replace current ones and what steps are involved? How do I match my current cam, exhaust manifold, intake, etc?
Thank you for all the help and guidance.

 

Your gonna need to pull the head just to check out the damage. Then you can find out what it will take to fix it. The gasket is gone or is the block or head cracked? Won't know until its opened up.

 

You really need to remove the heads now before you do anything else. If the plug is damaged there's a good chance the valve hit the piston, and it may need more than heads. If it's that far gone you may want to rethink what your next step is. Working in a parking lot will probably have a great affect on your choice of what's next.