Head and barrel Separation

[4stroke]

Has anyone ever come across this before, after removing the engine of my T140 the last thing I expected was not being able to separate the head from the barrel, every nut and bolt has been removed and a half tin of Wd40 used including wooden wedges, in the end I removed them both still joined together in the vain hope I would be able to get better access , I have rebuilt many engines over the years but have never had this problem, a solution would be welcomed.

[mark2]

sounds like the alloy head has been crushed onto the stud thread (centre ones) . I would not use a wedge , turn the barrels upside down and with a wooden drift see if the head moves with a tap from inside , get another person to hold it off the floor

[john.k]

You can also break the bond between the two by loosening the fasteners about 1 or 2 mm,and kicking the engine over  compression.Some gaskets [not solid copper Triumph though]develop a very strong bond,and driving in wedges will cause severe damage.Regards John.