Hi Guys, I need some expert advice on this one. I am trying to help a good friend with his BBC stroker build. Unfortunatly, due to some prior bad machine shop work, the block would not square at Zero deck. To get the block square, he had the current machinist take an additional .015 from the deck and you guessed it, the pistons all stick .020 out of the block. My question is should he use an of the shelf .051" Fel Pro gasket which will give a .029 Quench or go with a custom made Cometic .060 or .065 gasket for more quench? This will be a 10.2 CR 91 octane pump gasoline engine that will never rev over 5500 rpm. Installed in a 57 Chevy Bel Air. Thanks for any responce and comments are always welcome. Regards, Pat McNeil SUBJECT LINE MISTAKE! This is a 505" BBC (4.350 bore) Not 496"!

Pat,
FYI...Milodon sells a .060 thick, 4.390" bore head gasket...#40013 for $110 pr (Summit).

Bill, Those Milodon gaskets are half the price of the custom made gaskets!! Thank you very much for that info. Pat

A "shade-tree" way of doing this is to use three, .020" or .022"(?) thick steel el-cheapo shim headgaskets stacked per side!!

I think I gave $18/pair for the set I put on my 496 a time back.

Plus, I did my .060" over high compressioned 409 "W" motor this way, but used two sets years ago..

I just "gaummed" them up real good with Spray Copper-Cote on both sides hanging by a wire in the open and waited til it got good and tacky and installed them on my 496..

And heck, way back when I used aluminum spray paint on on them for the old "W" motor.....

Try Mr. Gasket for them??

pdq67

PS., and it was common practice way back years ago for the factory to run two thin shim steel headgaskets on stock, hi-po motors to adjust the CR.!!!

Pat,
Another option is to use a pair of the Fel_Pro "head saver" shims. They are .020" thick copper shims that originally were made for use if you had to mill a bunch of a cylinder head to make it flat. They go down on the block first, then your normal head gasket.
Just another option,

Bill,

Just curious, how do you install the copper shims and then install a Felpro coated gasket? Do you put copper sealer only on the block side?


Pat,
Did you get your own 454 running yet? By the way that alum rad. works like champ. I can run this car at idle or open throttle, doesn't effect temp at all. I've had it idling for 20 minutes at a time just to see if the car would heat up - never goes above 180 - 185 (with sender in the head). With the big 7-blade GM fan & HD truck fan clutch, sounds like an airplane propeller is under the hood, but I'll take that over overheating any time.

Bill, What advantage, if any, is there to using the Copper "Head Saver" shims over the regular Mr. Gasket .020" steel shims? I'm glad this block deck height problem is'nt going to be as bad as origionally thought! Thanks for responding so quickly. Pat

hmmm...in a quick search of my limited resources, I couldn't come up with a "head saver " gasket in that bore size. :confused:

Hey Joe, My 454 is still on the stand. Another change of plans, I deceided to put hardened seats in the 063 heads. After they got to the machine shop, I was pursuaded to upgrade to larger stainless steel valves. What the hell, it's only money! (and another couple of weeks) I'm glad the radiator is working well for you. Now get that A/C hooked up and give your cooling system a real test! Take care my friend, Pat P.S. I've deceided to compete again next month at the USPF Nationals in Las Vegas, wish me luck.(I hope Ed Coan don't diet down to 220# or I'm really screwed!!!!!)

Pat,

I had hard seats done in my 290's but for stock 1.72's. When I went back to have them do 1.88's, the shop I use was afraid of hitting the jacket in order to use the 1.88's with a seat insert. We left the 1.72's in there and only wound up doing the 2.19's on the intake. I had to go to a cam with an extreme amount of exhaust duration to compensate - hence the reason I sold the 282/286 cam. In hindsight, I don't know if I would have bothered with the seat inserts for a motor that will only see a couple of thousand miles over the next 4 - 5 years (if that).

Off the topic, but the real P/L in the house just turned 18 on Wednesday. His squat work out on Tuesday was 405 for 15 and then 550 for a double at a body wt. of 223 (no "medicine" !). Best part - have to force him to wear a belt but no wraps. I swear the limits keep getting higher all the time. The human race must be in another state of evolution with this next generation.

Good luck in your meet!

ttt