How reliable are these thin head gaskets for mostly street use compared to the regular ones? Is it more desirable to use these in a low compression engine or a high compression engine?

I am interested in using a .022" steel gasket to get my compression number up and tight quench for my 489 project with flat top pistons.

Thanks, Charles

Thas all GM used from the factory for well over 30 years ... must be pretty reliable for them to do it. Very rarely see one fail.

I used the.028 GM to get my quench to where I needed it. Street and strip time There still there :D

MY VELLE (http://www.prestage.com/Member+Pages/1201.aspx)

Have you thought about the Fel-pro PN 1094 rubber coated .015" thck steel shim headgasket??

pdq67

Originally posted by pdq67:

Have you thought about the Fel-pro PN 1094 rubber coated .015" thck steel shim headgasket??

pdq67 Is that gasket for a big block? Do you have to "spray paint" these gaskets and since they are rubber coated are they less prone to leak? Do you have a part number?

Thanks.

I think the .015 Felpro are for SBC. Get the .022's from you local Chevy dealer. About $25.00 for the pair. Spray with Copper Head Gasket Spray and have at it. Only issue is head/deck surfaces have to be flat and clean.

I'm sorry, I missed that you have a 489" motor project...

The Fel-pro 1094 is a SB headgasket..

I have the .022" steel shims on my about 9.8 to 1 CR., 496" motor..

pdq67

Too bad you need BB gaskets. Fel-Pro makes an .018" shim gasket that works great. Cost is $6.35 each. I have a set on my driver. Some 80-90,000 miles and they were never re-torqued. My buddy runs them on his 7000 rpm bracket car, again no problems. I wanted to use them on my bracket car but quench didn't work out right with them. I ended up with Victor shims. They have worked out great. I'll always take a shim over a composite if possible.

Does anyone yet make a shim gasket for the 400 SBC?

MaTt

I took an old 400 headgasket and located it by using two drill bits and put it on my old -461 heads and drilled the steam holes in my heads.

Then I took and did the same thing to a pair of .022" thick 350 shims stacked under the 400 headgaskets to get the steam holes located correctly on them.

Next, I mocked up the heads and 350 shims on my 400 block and reached up inside it and scribed where it needed to be ground/relieved a schosh by hand.b I just made sure that I didn't leave any burr's that mighta screwed up their sealing ability!!

I used my trusty, 1/4" drill and some cheap chinese stones and a fine small round file like a chainsaw file to relieve them!!

Then I daubbed them up real good with Copper-Cote and installed them on my 406 SB!! BUT I did retorque them three times after heat cycling them by going back and forth to work a couple a times b/c I'm ANAL about this sorta deal!!!!!!!!!!!

Worked great!!

pdq67

The 454 LS-6 used steel shim gaskets on the iron head engines. Good enough for me!

I used them on my Mk IV 454/Gen 6 L-29 head boat engine. I used Mr Gasket .020 gaskets for a Mk IV block. Works great!

Coat them with CopperCoat from napa or any autoparts store.

I use the 1094 .015 steel shims on my SB and havn't had a problem. The problem that anyone could have is the fact that the shim gasket doesn't seal imperfections well, thats why using the copper coat makes it work great.

do any these shim gaskets work with aluminum heads??

Originally posted by canary66:
do any these shim gaskets work with aluminum heads?? 1094