Dont use copper head gaskets

Loz · backyard mechanic Joined: 05 Oct 2001 Posts: 943

Its not worth the hassel if they dont seal. My compression is fine, the o-rings are holding in all the boost (even though it isnt even 6psi), but the oil and water jacket havent sealed to the outside of the block. It seems they arent mixing together, as there is no oil or coolant in each other, it is just heading straight out the side.
So off comes the head and resealling. Too bad im going away so there wont be time to fix it then register it and make summernats Sad

Does anyone know if after approx. 300km it will have work hardened yet? ie will I have to reanneal it before i put it back in??

TXcoupe · petrol head Joined: 05 Oct 2001 Posts: 1675

loz go check out the drags. those guys will have the best answers. with your head gasket i would reanneal when you first got it. alli frosting apparently is good too so u dont have to reanneal it.

Stock TE · backyard mechanic Joined: 12 Mar 2002 Posts: 853

What did the gasket cost you?

Loz · backyard mechanic Joined: 05 Oct 2001 Posts: 943

Unfortunately living in canberra there are no drags. The friggin government closed the dragway, and we are fighting for a new one to be built now. So that is a bt hard. Ive talked to a few people but noone has given me a solid answer yet, even people who are in the race scene.
Whjat is allo frosting?

Loz · backyard mechanic Joined: 05 Oct 2001 Posts: 943

Cant remember. About $90, but then again there is the expensive sealant that is supposed to work, and the o-ringing, that has to be done. So the real cost is much more.

Loz · backyard mechanic Joined: 05 Oct 2001 Posts: 943

Late on a friday arfternoon, I went for a mecry mission to talk to some people involved with racing before they were uncontactable for the weekend, and have have a solution. Hopefully it works.

What Im gonna do is retorque the head again(again). I borrowed a better torque wrench from a mechanic mate and damn its a peice of work, and its a trade UP from his "crappy" snapon one!! Its Warren and Brown if anyone is interested. Well Im gonna do it as accurately as I can and put a few more lbs into it. In my mercy mission, I talked to my tuner(who happens to be Jake Edwards old boss and taught him most of what he knows. If you dont know Jake Edwards, he is probably canberras best performance builder/tuner and has some crazy drag scene cars). Anyway, he said that with the uncertainty of copper gaskets, they always run radiator sealer aswell a couple of times. But here is the different bit that may work. He sentr me to a Tractor shop to get it. Very heavy duty stuff used to seal dig diesel blocks (stuff like 8L d10's etc). I went there and said what i wanted to do and asked what the best stuff you can buy was, and instead of selling me the $50 tiny bottle of stuff, he MADE me buy a little $10 thing, even when I said money is no object. So Im guessing this is one of the secret specialty trade tricks.

Heres to hoping it works. Fingers crossed.
If you actually read all this garble, then I may pass on name for yor efforts.

ONLYA4 · petrol head Joined: 12 May 2003 Posts: 1114

Good luck Loz, let me know how it goes coz i will be using a copper head gasket with an o-ringed block.

have a good one.