More head gasket problems
 

Hello on my 41 Mercury engine I got rebuilt at a shop, heads and block mechined, weeped coolent through the head gaskets fiber "best gasket copper sandwich gaskets" and I tried to fix it by fitting falpro gaskets witch fixed it but then I had a blowing head gasket probably from excessive use of copper spray? even when I was told not to.

Where I live on the other side of the world its hard and very
expensive to get things from the USA but I found a good suply of NOS asbestos gasket made for Ford by some American asbestos company, they look nice with rings around the water passages and steel fire rings. He says he sells heaps of them and they dont give any problems

Should I give them a light copper spray to help things? I refuse to grease them.

I put an old 1938 motor together that had a crack down the middel of the 3 water holes with fiber gaskets and copper spray and it was mint, it seems everyone has a way they like to do i, I just don't want to be cleaning off asbestos fiber mess from my engine a few days later.

I have seen some very ugly rough looking modern head gasket for flatheads and this includes the Fal-pro one size fits all 39-48 221" - 239" gaskets,

Re: More head gasket problems
 

Re: More head gasket problems
 

2023 I had a normal aspirated flathead in my 34 and used Best gaskets - they were useless as the filler material "flows" out under the copper tin. Might have to do with use of aluminium heads on an iron engine. Look for Marts thread about Best gaskets, he had the same problem. 2024 onwards I used an engine with a Weiand blower and the french gaskets that look the same as yours. I just greased them on installation and retorqued a couple times. There is no movement anymore in the head bolts so this indicates that the combo of aluminium heads on an iron engine is doable with good gaskets and they even hold up to the extra pressure of a blower with up to 10 psi. So from now on I will only use grease on these gaskets - seems to work for me.

Re: More head gasket problems
 

They look like the gaskets Ive used with success. I spray silver paint on both sides, always have . It’s what my father taught me . Has not failed me yet . Many rebuilds in the last 10 yrs .
Those gaskets look like the ones in Speedways engine kits .

Re: More head gasket problems
 

I rub a thin coat of grease on them. seal good and if you have to open things up again you can carefully remove them and probably reuse them. Chap

Re: More head gasket problems
 

Why do you refuse to use grease?

Re: More head gasket problems
 

Just a note that if the engine is bored 0.080” or more, you need to use an oversized gasket. Good luck

Re: More head gasket problems
 

Yes I saw Matt's video of the gasket, I could see they were squishing the fiber out and like he says there is no reinforcement in the fiber.

Why dont I use high temperature copper head gasket spray insted of silver paint?

I dont see what greasing them would do apart from create a void like excessive copper spray as well

Re: More head gasket problems
 

That copper head gasket spray is a sealant and a glue. Silver paint, when the heads are applied with it still tacky, acts as the same but without the holding power of that copper spray.

As a test, spray two pieces of scrap metal with it and clamp them together. Once dries, pry them apart and see what's left.

I wouldn't use it on something you may need to take apart again sometime in the future.

Re: More head gasket problems
 

Is it good to use a sealant on asbestos gaskets? Is it necessary even? Isn't that the gaskets job?

I might just give it a thin coat ?

Re: More head gasket problems
 

do both sides with copper coat and let dry for a while before tighting down. Works fine. If it does not dry some first it will leak.

Re: More head gasket problems
 

Ditch the copper and use the composite Best gaskets without grease or anything else. If your surfaces are true you won't have any problems.

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I just installed the Ford asbestos gaskets with copper spray and sprayed them like the cans instructions recommended

Re: More head gasket problems
 

I've always used this gasket. The Best Gasket Graphtite gasket. I have never had a problem with them.

Re: More head gasket problems
 

No, grease is probably not necessary, but I use it because it makes the reuse of the gasket more likely. I have re-used a lot of head gaskets successfully over the years, in Fords and other cars. These days, at almost $100 a crack, it's a real money saver.

Re: More head gasket problems
 

Took the heads to a shop and they had to take 3 thou off them to get them flat, that photo is the 1st grind, the low spots are around the places I was seeing weeping. Hope this fixes the problem

Re: More head gasket problems