Power freaks have many choices when it comes to making power these days. Still, whether we are talking about a supercharger, turbocharging, EFI, or even an old-school stroker kit, it all comes down to squeezing more air and fuel into the combustion chambers to make a louder boom.
Engine gaskets are often used on high-performance street/strip engines because they last a long time. Copper is resistant to blowouts because it naturally conducts and spreads heat evenly. This prevents warping and makes it possible to make a firm seal, even on rough or damaged surfaces.
Of course, when you make more power, you put more stress on the engine. In the past, when a car had a lot of energy, the head gasket would often blow. It does not have to be that way anymore, but you still have to be careful. It all comes down to choosing the right parts and putting them together correctly. This article has a few tips for things you can do to make it much less likely that your engine gasket will blow. Oh, and we will bust a few myths that hurt more than they help.
Be Smooth
Usually, the engine gasket is to blame for a blown head gasket. However, if the decks of both the engine block and the cylinder heads have yet to be adequately machined, every head gasket will fail. The deck of the block and the cylinder heads should be machined so that they are flat and parallel to the centerline of the crankshaft within a couple of thousandths of an inch.
Clamping Loads
No matter how good the engine gasket is, it still needs the cylinder head fasteners to have the right clamping load for it to work right. Getting a good, even clamping load across the gasket depends on the fasteners' hardware, constant torque, and the pattern used to tighten the fasteners.
You cannot do that with hand tools, no matter how careful you are. No matter how good you are at building engines, it is always best to have a machine shop clean up the decks for both new engines and rebuilds unless you are trying to get a junk car out of the junkyard or the demolition derby car through one more night of chaos. It will always be worth it in the long run.
You can buy either head bolts or head studs when you need new fasteners. Most people who build high-performance engines use head studs because they can give a more consistent clamping force. This is because the head stud can be easily threaded into the block. The head is then put on, and the head stud nuts hold it. This means the studs can be put into almost pure tension instead of being turned.
These installation tips seem like a lot of information for engine gaskets, but installing a copper head gasket and the O-ring system is more accessible and just as crucial as decreeing a cam.
0
Sign in to leave a comment.