I started a thread about this a while back before I got my block back from the machine shop. Now I have more information and wanted to see what some of the experienced people have to say. Anyways I bought an oringed block a while back and decided to build it. It was originally for a blower motor car, I'm going NA. It's been bored to 4.035, got a new forged rotating assembly in it etc.

Long story short pistons are .016 in the hole and it can't be decked enough to remove the oring groove. I really don't want to run a copper gasket but now I'm pretty sure I have no choice. I was considering pulling the wire and running a composite gasket so I bought a set of Mr Gasket and tried fitting them on the block to see where the fire ring would sit in relation to the wire. Because of the D shaped combustion chamber the wire would intersect the fire ring - anyways no go.

I've already got a .040 Flatout Copper Head gasket that will work. I just don't like the resultant .056 quench. I've talked to Flatout, SCE and even Cometic on the phone to hear their opinion. Flatout thinks I might be able to go with a .031 gasket putting me down to a better .047 quench, but this could be risky as the wire will be "cutting" into almost half if not more of the compressed gasket, wire protrudes from deck approximately .010.

Anyways I'm thinking that I live with the safer .040 and .057 quench rather than take a chance of cutting a gasket for another .009 or .010 less quench. The motor will be around 11.7 to 11.8 SCR. What do you guys think just live with it. It really doesn't seem worth it to scrap an otherwise perfect block with the money that I've got into it for a less than optimum quench.

 

Get someone to heliarc the ring grooves closed and have the block redecked to make sure it's flat again.

Just another option although I've never seen it done.

 

I called another machine shop and guess what he told me that he has experience with what you suggest. Long story short I'm bringing the block to him and I'm going to deck it .016 and either weld, run a different gasket or maybe even get lucky and the groove won't be as deep as I think it is. At any rate for about $300 more I'll get the quench that I want and not have to run a copper gasket. His decking machine is more than capable of meeting even Cometic Ra requirements. Live and learn. Next time I'll know better. Not to mention that I'll be basically throwing away the 450 that I paid to have the block professionaly assembled with a build sheet.

Lessons with this stuff tend to be a little pricey, but I'm not going to spend the money that I have already and not get exactly what I want.

 

What about filling the ring groove with JB weld then having it decked?

 

The machinist mentioned epoxy, but not JB Weld. I'm not sure that I'd be comfortable with either of those options. He's used a TIG weld setup to fill grooves before. Basically I'm going to bring the block to him and see whats up.

 

Personally, I'd be more comfortable with filling the rings with either epoxy,
J.B. Weld, or better yet, steel rings machined to press into the o-ring
grooves, and then a re-deck.I would be worried about putting all that heat
to my freshly machined block.

 

Block is going to be square decked after the welding, and he is using a lower heat TIG weld. I'm going to trust his experience. If he tells me to use epoxy, I'll go with that.