Ok third time around, installed orings and copper gaskets (.41) first time assembled myself (8000 km) second time engine builder (2000km) used spray copper and silicone both times with head studs at 70 pounds and a .41 gasket with .009 oring protrusion.

Do I have to reuse a new copper gasket or has anyone found a graphite that is round and can be used, I remember reading an article a while ago o ring and graphite was used by high compression buicks.

If anyone has any info my wife thanks you (garage starting to feel like doghouse)

John Carpico

 

What are your trying to do?

 

If you are blowing head gaskets, the first thing to do is to ditch the copper spray. A friends Mustang kept blowing head gaskets. Then a guy told us to quit using copper spray and it has not blown a gasket yet. The guy that told us was a turbo buick guy and said he has had the same problem.

Good luck with it.

 

We always run High-Tack on our copper head gaskets. 500" engine with 16:1 comp, and 9000 rpm. We haven't blown a gasket in three years.

 

If you're blowing a copper head gasket then there's something seriously wrong. The head or deck is not perfectly flat.

I gave up on copper head gaskets last year. I couldn't keep the coolent from leaking out the ends. I put a good quality Felpro composite gasket in and haven't had a problem since. I just pulled out the o-ring and used the composite gaskets.

The best spray to use on copper head gaskets is Hylomar.

 

Not blowing head gaskets just constantly leaking coolant.
Stephan you just pulled out wire and ran another gasket I didn't think you could do that. I just wasted a 9966 gasket I installed and torqued it to see where wire contacted gasket. Gasket is kind of d shaped so it is on the edge two spots, not good.
Which gasket are you using and did you ever get the copper to seal.

John Carpico

 

Copper gaskets almost always leak, in my somewhat limited experience with them.

Rich Krause

 

Most racers who need to use copper gaskets have very little or no coolent in the engine. It's almost impossible to keep the gasket from leaking. I almost had my leaks stopped by smearing silicone around the front and rear of the head at the block but there were still small leaks. The main reason for the copper gasket and o-ring is to seal the cylinder compression not the coolent. You could try using some silicone around the coolent passages.

Only my block had an o-ring groove. The heads were never cut for a groove. I just pulled out the wire out of the groove and used a good Felpro gasket. My 454 BBC is bored +.070 to 4.320. I used the Felpro 1037 head gasket with no problems.

 

Did you retorque the heads after initial warmup?

 

I did the first time, the second time I just checked bolts I can get to without removing all the accessories (aftercooler alt) and they didn't move. Not sure what torque was initially that time since I didn't install the heads (was told I must have done something wrong so I let pro's assemble second time).

has anyone used copper on street with no issues, if I remove wire block is scrap, since I havn't been able to find a headgasket that is round (all d shaped) not running wire is not an option without round graphite gasket.



John Carpico

 

Hi John
I'm Jeff the guy you were talking with at Ramchargers when I had a emergency pop up. Sorry about that but rome didn't burn after all.
On with your issue, I recently talked with SCE about the Titan Coppers for LT1's. They need to make these for us but they only have um for 55-92 SBC and LS1 at this time. They have rubber o-ring type seal around each coolant hole and they seal great.

The only other choice would switch to cometic.
http://www.cometic.com/Auto/autopdf/gm.pdf
They cost a few bucks more but they are the best head gasket you will ever have. Get ahold of them and tell them whats going on they will cure the problem and you'll be able to put as much boost as you want on those gaskets without wire in the block.

 

I used Cometic copper head gaskets on a 1964 Harley Sportster with 4.625 stroke, 12.5:1 static compression, hemi-heads and dual plugs.

I had previously been unable to keep ANY gaskets in it.

I went to the cometic, bolted the heads on, ran it 5 minutes to warm it, re-torqued the heads and I never again had another problem.

It's true that there are no water coolant passages in that motor, but the point that I was trying to make was that this engine was extremely hostile to gaskets, and the cometics worked the FIRST time.

Back in the old days, when a lot of guys used copper gaskets because it was cool, it was common practice to spread a thin layer of silicone around the coolant passages. The trick was wide, but thin.
It was often a sort of hit or miss thing to tell the truth, but if you were careful, it would work more often then not.

I seem to remember one guy saying that his trick was to spread a lot of silicone all over the gasket, then use a semi-stiff bristle paint brush to spread it uniformly and make a good cross-hatch pattern, then get it on as fast as possible, so the silicone had a chance to spread a wee bit before it set up. He claimed that it worked real well for him

 

The wire in the head is at 4.35 the problem I'm having is all the LT1 head gaskets I have seen are d shaped. The fire ring on gasket is outside ring in head so that groove would be feeding combution gases to backside of gasket. Is cometics gasket round or d shaped like felpro and stocker.

Have another short i'd just like to get my moneys worth out of this one.

John Carpico

 

I also I'm a crew member on a fast NMCA / NSCA car
as well as a Ramchargers employee.
Toms car runs copper sce's its a big block chevy on big spray, Uses about 6 pounds of nitrous a pass.
13 to 1 compression...LOTs of cylinder pressure.
The car also sees summer cruising action but its not going on runs to the store for bread and milk or to see grandma Joysey.
He always uses a thin coating of silcone spread with a finger, nothing major just a thin coating. Its a GE brand used for glass install states "flowable" on it. He lets itset up before installing and I can't remember having leaks but we tare that motor down every 8 to 10 passes.
I think you need the composite cometics

 

Its round and 4.040 dia per there site so it sounds like your wire will set in a manor thats better than what you've been running.