Granted, there are a variety of head gaskets available. It is true that torquing a head will distort the bore and that is the reason cylinders are final honed with a torque plate to simulate the head bolt loading in the block. But the torque plate does just that, it simulates the BOLTS distorting the cylinder bores. I have never seen nor heard of any discussion of the type of gasket used, making a difference. It is the bolt, pulling on the threads of the bolt hole, adjacent to, and parallel with, the cylinder that distorts the bore. It is hard to imagine that the type of fire ring in the gasket can make a difference in the distortion of the bore. Especially with that DIFFERENCE in distortion having effect far enough down the hole to affect the rings. The thickness of the deck of the block would also be a deterrent. Can you provide any legitimate reference to the gasket making a difference? For the reasons expressed above, I don't believe the gasket can make any real world difference, but I am always ready to learn.

RACE ON!!!

 

Plenty of comment. First, what you say IS garbage. I never got off topic. That comment and the question "So are we still talking about head gaskets or about quench?" combine to prove my point that you have no clue. You post gibberish, hooblyboobly, with no idea of how things work. You make ridiculous statements with no basis in fact, and that can only serve to frustrate those that might read this forum in hopes of learning. Such irresponsible posting is a disservice to the whole forum.



There is nothing common about that type of "sense". There is argument to that train of thought, but it isn't worth the time to type it. A litle common sense is plenty to refute that.



The pointless hooblyboobly, and ramblings are the main negativity in this thread.

YOU figure out the relationship between quench and gasket thickness. Once you have learned that, for the purposes of this thread, you will have gained a clue. Until then, quit muddying up the waters with falsehoods that mislead those that care to learn.



RACE ON!!!

 

So WTF do I do?!?!?!

 

Oops, we didn't answer your original question did we. I would use the 1144 with no reservations about it. The 1144 is a multi-layer steel gasket designed to limit bore distortion in modern thin wall castings with improved duribility for aluminum head applications. The only caution would be if the block was previously honed with one of the older FelPro competition style head gaskets. You can't go to MLS without rehoning with one but if you are rebuilding a stock engine you can use them without doing anything else.

 

Dimensionally, I like the 1094. I just don't know how it will seal with an aluminum head. It is inexpensive, small bore, and it is thin, which will favor your quench area. If you have the spec, .025" deck clearance, this will get the quench down to a worthwhile .040".

I'm sure it will seal, but I don't like the 4.20" bore size of the 1144. That gives a greater crevice volume. The .040" thickness all but kills any advantage of a good quench. They are expensive.

Then there is always the trued and true 1010 gaskets. They share the same draw backs as the 1144, but with a smaller bore (4.166") and at half the price.

Especially where you aren't doing an overhaul and can't tailor your parts combination as you might, I'd be looking for someone to give the thumbs up on the 1094 with aluminum heads. AArdwolf first mentioned them, maybe he knows, or knows who knows.

RACE ON!!!

 

I concede. I'm gonna admit that I know little about head gasket choices and quench. But there's always a wealth of info out there. I just have to know how accurate it is. But since I'm on here anyways, I'll give my opinion on the head gasket that is currently working for me. I'm using Felpro 1003 head gaskets on my Dart iron heads and so far it has withstood many WOT runs. I just feel like a thinner head gasket would offer less seal, but if you guys are running them without any problems, then I guess that's nice to know.

 

I got this advice on another forum:

 

I to use the 1094, but I'm also using the dart iron heads.

I have to admit this thread was educational, and YES I did look up the word "quench" as well.

CFI... thanks for the "quench" lesson!

 

I have a pair of the 1094 that I am waiting to put on. I can give you direct experience once they are on but I won't be putting them on this weekend or anything. I am selling my house and moving soon. Here are a few threads that the search turned up on them:


http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...highlight=1094

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...highlight=1094

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...highlight=1094

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...highlight=1094

Lots more in the search.

 

The roundness and straightness of the top of the bore just below the deck surface is the most critical for achieving optimum top ring seal. While the goal of the original engineering team was to achieve good head gasket seal by equipping it with 5 bolts per cylinder closely located to the bore they also gave it the unfortunate ability to distort the bores when the head bolts were tightened. One of the first hotrod tricks invented long ago was honing with torque plates which solved that problem and helped make more power. Head gaskets have also changed a lot over the years and as race engines got better head gasket manufacturers had to continually design better gaskets to keep up. Some of the specialty gaskets for the aftermarket incorporated stainless steel wire combustion seals in order to increase the pounds per square inch load around each cylinder. In order to achieve this feature the head deck is literally forced to bend around the wire which changes the distributed stress in the decks and tops of the bores. We have done many bore distortion studies to compare how gaskets distort bores and have found as much as .0015 difference in bore distortion between gaskets. For top ring seal .0015 is a lot and will show up as five small windows in each bore just under the the end of each head bolt in the deck. Studs versus bolts will be different as well. Knowing what I know just from our work with it I would personally stay with the same kind of gasket the engine was running with before unless I needed to hone the block anyway. Will this be a big thing for a street engine if you just put on whatever you want? Probably not but it certainly is something to think about.

 

ok, Here's what I learned.

1. The stock thickness is .051

2. .015 thickness will move my CR up to probably 11.5:1, too high for pump gas

3. .039 thickness will raise my CR to about 10.75 which is just about as high as I should go on pump gas.

I am thinking the 1010s. They are .039.

Comments. Thanks for the input.

 

This has been a helpful thread. I, too, am in need of head gaskets. My '89 runs fine till I hit the nitrous, then it pushes coolant into the overflow tank. I was thinking of using the .015 steel shim gasket, but I guess first I need to decide which heads I'm going to run. I am going to start a new thread for some advice there.

 

I'm using the 1010's with no problems.

 

1010 was developed for performance applications with aluminum heads. The gasket also has the steel wire combustion seal but 1010 features a pre-flattened wire to minimize brinelling to the aluminum.

 

The 1010 has a COPPER wire ring to prevent brinelling.

RACE ON!!!

 

Do you agree with my choice? To go from .051 to .015 is a huge jump and will increase compression beyond pump gas. I already run 10.25:1 in a stock form.

I'm thinking .039 is about as far as I should go, probably get me to 11:1

Now I know, I've seen the compression thread, that it's not all about the static number, however, I do need SOME guidelines.

 

You ARE going about this all bassackward. I favor the 1094 gaskets, because they give some decent quench effect. However, they do produce a 11.25:1 compression ratio. I think that the 11.25:1 ratio is as viable with quench as the 11.00:1 ratio is with no quench. If you had planned this all out properly from the beginning you would have taken ALL the factors, head gaskets, compression ratio, both static AND dynamic, etc. into account before you ordered the heads to be milled. Heads with 62 to 64 ccs might have been a better choice. Speaking of milling heads, how much are they taking off? are you going to have valve to piston clearance issues? I hope you'll check it before final assembly.

RACE ON!!!

 

This admission is a long time coming. Did you just realize this or have known all along and now, finally decided to admit it? Gaskets and quench aren't the only things you don't know about, yet post on. From now on, if you have something of substance to add to a thread by all means, post it. But stop all the misleading, uninformed, false, and poisonous posts of nothing but pure hooblyboobly. You can really do harm to a serious studier.



How appropriate! A prolific spreader of falsehoods, fiction, and pure hooblyboobly, who makes it up as he types, is concerned about the accuracy of posts he reads. Pure irony! In THAT department, you deserve whatever you get.

RACE ON!!!

 

Do you know what quench is? Would you know when you need it and would you recognize it when you saw it? Why it is important? How much is enough and how much is too much?

 

No idea!

RACE ON!!!