Blown Head Gasket

[jwaldrich]

The head gasket blew on my friends 1923 Fordor.

I am working on getting one stuck bolt out (you guessed it, farthest one aft on the port side) but I would like to know if there is anything I need to look for while replacing this gasket.

Something that occasionally accompanies a blown head gasket.

Thanks in advance.

[29spcoupe]

Head gaskets blow from time to time. I would make sure the block is good an clean, use a new head gasket and new head bolts. The old ones could have stretched.

[Jack Innes]

Be sure to clean out the threaded holes in the block - sometimes the bolts bottom out & torque correctly but are actually holding very little.

[Royce P]

They seem to blow regularly when folks do not clean the surfaces well and also if the head is not re - torqued immediately after the first heat cycle. A friend of mine says they blow more frequently if you have a Z head, but I have never had one so I do not have any way to confirm if it is so.


I have not had any head gaskets blow in many tens of thousands of miles driving various Model T's. I think installation technique is critical. Also the flatness of each surface is critical. Preparation of the surfaces to make sure there is no grease or oil is critical.

[CharlieB]

You've pretty much got some good answers. They do seem (sometimes) to just go on their own but there's usually a reason. Good clean surfaces, clean the holes out, (important !), and re-torque after heating it up & letting it cool completely. If it hasn't gone in a long time, or never before, it could be just a normal gasket failure,

[redmodelt]

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Ah heck, I have used grease as a sealer with used head gaskets (off different engines no less) on my block that has never been decked, more then once and have yet to blow a head gasket. (Stock engines running at "normal" T speeds of 35 and under). Maybe a little weep on the outside. Torquing is the key.

[Royce P]

My friend Bud (RIP) used to do that. Knowing that Kerrville, TX is extremely hilly Bud put a new head gasket on his '17 touring along with a new Z head, using grease instead of gasket sealer. We went on the MTFCA national tour and he made it through the first day before blowing the head gasket. I think it's just an old wives tale that refuses to die. People didn't have new head gaskets or gasket sealant when they were dirt poor so they invented "fixes" like putting breakfast in the radiator to stop leaks, using grease on head gaskets, etc.

Originally Posted by redmodelt

Ah heck, I have used grease as a sealer with used head gaskets (off different engines no less) on my block that has never been decked, more then once and have yet to blow a head gasket. (Stock engines running at "normal" T speeds of 35 and under). Maybe a little weep on the outside. Torquing is the key.