Do high compression heads eat head gaskets?

I've been told that the Snyder heads only need 55 ft. lbs. torque. It will be necessary to retorque the head several times until it will hold 55 ft. lbs. torque, especially if you use grade five studs.
 
Last edited:
29er said:
I'm reading this thread with trepidation because my '29 coupe supposedly came with a "6:1 head". Some newbie Q's:

(1) How can I identify exactly what head I have without removing it (which I don't want to do if not necessary);

(2) Should the head bolts be re-torqued as part of regular maintenance? The re-built engine had less than 100 miles on it when I got it;

(3) Is the head nut torque for this head still 55 ft/lbs as it would be for a standard head?;

(4) What are the signs of a blown head gasket and how is it diagnosed?;

Wanting to stay a-HEAD of the game in Oregon,
Mike
Click to expand...
If it is a Snyder 5.5 or 6.0 it should have a couple of small raised bosses on the driver side one in front and one behind the middle head stud. The 5.5 will have 5 ***** marks in each and the 6.o will have 6 ***** marks and may only have one boss.

Two ways to find a blown gasket. One is a distinctive loss of power and a popping through the carb on acceleration. Second will be bubbles in the radiator and overheating. Sometimes the second type will manifest itself by leaking into the oil causing a light brown "milkshake" look. I have seen engines that when the throttle was blipped hard with the second type that looked like a geyser out of the radiator filler if the cap was off.
 
So, how does soot, hydrocarbon, or oil from the combustion process get into the radiator if the head gasket is not bad? How come oil seeps out of a good head gasket?
 
Thanks Tom, Purdy and James. There are no apparent bosses as indicated by James, and I see no obvious marks on the head.

Do all high compression heads (5.5, 6.0, etc) take the same gasket?

I'll check compression and torque.

Mike
 
The Brumfied 5.9 head takes the Fel-Pro 7013-C gasket,unless there is a later revision.The 5.5 Snyders head takes the"B" gasket.
 
29er said:
Hmmmm... so that brings me back to my first Q: how do I know what head I have?:confused:
Click to expand...

I thought your first question was;

29er said:
"Seems like the cars with high compression heads on them tend to go through head gaskets more often than those with stock heads. Is that true, or just a local coincidence?"
Click to expand...

But if you want to know what you have, what is it made of and what is the compression when warm?
 
29er said:
Thanks Tom, Purdy and James. There are no apparent bosses as indicated by James, and I see no obvious marks on the head.

Do all high compression heads (5.5, 6.0, etc) take the same gasket?

I'll check compression and torque.

Mike
Click to expand...
Just for reference, the bosses are about the size of the eraser on a #2 pencil and maybe 1/16" tall.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top