Help! Head Gasket Question & head studs ect :)

[George Miller]

Mr. JBohannon: I doubt there would be any noticable damage, but I would hope you reapply the assembly lube when you put it back together. My problem (humble opinion) with short running time on first start is that you have run it enough to displace the assembly lube, oil or whatever you use, but not long enough to establish good lubrication and run in and mating of new parts, and when you re-start it those new parts are not going to have much if any lube. You have also done a pretty good job of washing down the cylinders with cold, raw gas. Same thing happens on every start to some extent, but first start is critical for break in. My humble opinion is run it at high idle, 12-1500 rpm, for 15-20 minutes, vary the speed a bit, let it cool down and re-check everything. Would not hurt to change the oil then too, especially if you dont have a filter.

That's the way I do it. You give good advice.

 

[hardtimes]

Well, as someone on the sidelines reading analysing and trying to learn from all this talk, I think that some who responded briefly gave ' the facts ' ..as their experience/knowledge has taught them. For their adhereing to the 'keep it simple' principle ...much appreciated!

 

[Frank Miller]

I've run harleys without water for years. You might say it is air cooled but not in traffic on a 90 degree day. Regardless of how one goes about seating a head gasket or what causes it to take a set to get the final torque equal across the surface is interesting. But for all these posts no one has reported catastrophic failure or accelerated wear based on doing it one way or the other. So the final answer is to put the seam up unless you have an aluminum head. There I learned something.

 

[Ryan]

Hey fellas, if you can't give an opinion without bagging on someone else's, please don't post... at all... I don't have the time or inclination to deal with that kind of childish crap.

I've cleaned this thread up a bit. Poweredbylincoln, sorry for the crap.

 

[JBohannon]

My post was trying to make the post of simply this. I am not necessarily talking about a new or rebuilt model A engine. You are simply not going to hurt a Model A engine by running for something like 30 seconds without coolant. I was taking issue with someone who said "You should not run the engine for even 2 seconds without coolant " period. I have a great love and interest in Americana and American History. And the Model A along with the Model T are certainly a great part of that. The stories I heard from my father and my grandad and others about these wonderful original automobiles and how durable, and useful they were to America in a variety of different ways really interested me. That is the Model A I know about. I am from Texas and back then if someone told these tough old farmers and people that drove these vehicles something as silly as do not run it without coolant for 2 seconds they would have laughed at you. One old gentleman once told me when it was very cold he drained the radiator and when it was time to start the car he let it warm up a short time and then added water because they had no antifreeze. I almost take it as an insult to the car and engine that it could not take 2 seconds without coolant. There is certainly a place for the perfect restorations of the Model A we see today in parades and such. But the roots of these cars is with the people of America who used them for their everyday livelyhood and it served them well under sometimes very tough conditions. Of course the Model A engine needs coolant to function no one denies that. My bet in an earlier post still stands about 30 seconds without water will not hurt this engine. It is a Ford Model A not a Swiss wristwatch.