Note: Plugs (also known as soft plugs and freeze plugs) can be very difficult or even impossible to remove once installed in the block's cooling passages.
1. Drill a small hole in the center of each of the plugs and pull them out using a male thread puller.
2. Clean the block surface from the remains of the old gasket with a special tool. Do not hit or scratch the working surfaces of the block.
3. Remove the main bearing caps and separate the bearing shells from the caps and from the engine block. Label the bearing shells to indicate which cylinder they came from and whether they were in the cap or the block; then set aside.
4 Remove all threaded plugs from the oil passages from the block. They usually fit very tightly - sometimes they need to be drilled out and the holes then tapped. Discard the plugs and install new ones when overhauling the engine.
5. If the engine is very dirty, wash all the passages with warm water until it becomes clean, dry the block thoroughly and lubricate the working surfaces with light machine oil with an anti-corrosion effect. If there is compressed air, use it to speed up the drying of the block and blow out all the oil passages and holes.
6. Tap the threaded holes with a tap of the appropriate size. If possible, clean the holes of chips with compressed air after this operation. Also clean the threads on the cylinder head bolts, as well as the main bearing cap bolts.
7. Install the main bearing caps and tighten the bolts by hand.
8. Treat the working surfaces of the plugs with RTV sealant. Install the plugs into the block (see pictures). Make sure that they go in evenly - not skewed and are installed tightly, otherwise they will leak. There is a special tool for this operation - or a large socket head with such an outside diameter that it enters the plug without gaps; half-inch extension and hammer.
9. Apply a non-hardening sealant (such as Permatex #2 or Teflon type) to the new oil passage plugs and screw them into the block holes. Make sure they are secure.
[The material was copied from an information website: fordbook.ru]