Correct Head gasket

D

dustyp489

Member
What is the correct head gasket to use with an aluminum head? I am insatlling a 6:1 Dan Price head with no relief for pistons . I have checked and the piston does not come pass the deck . I bought a copper one but have been looking in catalogs and see other types and from the write up I am not sure .
 
it doesnt really matter which gasket you use as long as the head and block are true, but if you like spending a couple of hours scraping the composition gasket off the head and from around the studs on the block and bandaging cut knuckles i would use the copper gaskets, i believe thats what ford used, and copper is all i ever use, and not recomended but a copper gasket can be reused in an emergency repair on the road
 
I run an aluminum Weiand 7:1 head with no flycut. I use a "BEST" composition gasket that torques down to .050 thick which is sufficient if the pistons do not pop up. Mine did and I took .025 off the piston tops. (Specs are .040 to .050 clearance.) No problems with the gasket. I would not use a copper gasket because of the dissimiliar metals, although after checking with the Locktite Technical guy I did use the copper flaked gasket spray. Be sure to get a sacrificial zinc from the suppliers to put in the radiator. Attach it to the overflow tube. In fact get two for when the first one corrodes away. As kind of an interesting experiment, get a digital voltmeter and put the positive in the radiator water and the negative to ground and measure the DC voltage. My A with distilled water and Watter Wetter measures .2 volts and the modern with aluminum heads and radiator with 20% antifreeze and Watter Wetter measures .15. I have heard/read somewhere that under .3 volts is normal, and over .3 volts indicates an electrical leakage problem somewhere, probably at the battery or other loose or corroded terminals.
 
I would ask the head manufacture what they suggest,. I am going to use a 5.9 from Snyders and am wondering the same thing except it's not aluminum. Jack
 
In the mid 1930's the Ford V8 used aluminum cylinder heads. The gasket to be used with these was a composition gasket to avoid a chemical reaction between two different metals.
 
Larry

Thanks for the info , will contact him today . Went I asked part houses, they have the same answers I have gotten here
 
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