Head gasket leaking oil

[70spider]

I recently changed the exhaust cam and originally thought the source of the seeping of oil onto the exhaust manifold was due to me not getting the cam tower to seal, but it was actually from another source. Upon closer inspection it seems the leak is coming from the junction of the head to the block. There are signs that it has been doing this for a little while, old accumulation of oil on the heater pipe that runs into the water pump, and on the lower edge of the block. I fear it is to large of a leak to ignore, but to be honest I do not know where to start.
The strange thing is the damn car runs great.

[131]

The strange thing is the damn car runs great.

Not strange at all if the leak is simply an oil gallery weeping to the outside, if it was going to a water gallery or a cylinder it's a different story. Give it a good clean with degreaser and be certain of the source before deciding to do anything. There are a couple of manifold studs that screw into the oil filled void below the cambox, not unusual for them to leak oil that runs down the side of the block.

[70spider]

Give it a good clean with degreaser and be certain of the source before deciding to do anything.

I'll clean it up and then pinpoint the leak. The area that looks the freshest is just above the water pump, were the head bolts to the block. But I'll clean it all up and check tomorrow.

[hayesbd]

My 73 had this very problem. It just needed a new head gasket - the new ones have some additional features to help prevent leakage around the oil holes. Mine has been dry for about a year now.

Brian

[Fiatracertracer]

My leak was the first exhaust manifold stud.

Remove the exhaust stud at the leak ... usually the one that's wet with oil and put some high temp RTV on the threads... reset it and forget it. mine is bone dry now.


it's a known leak point.