Gents, about to put a set of older Edelbrock aluminum heads on my bone stock 53 Lhead. Engine is in a 53 F100 which gets used quite a bit when the weather in western Pa allows. Engine is a little tired but runs well and propels my pickup along as well as I need most days. Acquired a set of Edelbrock heads which I just had gently surfaced. Suggestions on head gaskets for the install? Im usually a fan of Felpro gaskets. I see two different types listed by Felpro for a stock bore, one I believe requires retorque. I did a search here and saw other manufacturers mentioned as well, (BestGasket). Also saw a comment about copper and dissimilar metals? I’m hoping a little more compression would wake the engine up a little. Any input is much appreciated! Al
I have run copper headgaskets on my hotrod coupe motor with old weiand aluminum heads... bad part is after a few years they would eventually start to put some combustion gasses in the coolant on hard pulls on the race track or running up the mountain hard. So after changing the gaskets a few times I decided to give felpro gaskets a go as I have always had luck with them on my iron headed flatheads. And it has been a number of years since installed them and I have had no more issues. I do chance my coolant out every few years to make sure I don't get any galvanic corrosion or at least minimize it some.
Thanks for the feedback. They’re are a lot more expensive gaskets than the Felpro version. Now I’m only seeing one version on Felpro site, musta confused myself looking at multiple options. Did you install dry or with sealant? Thanks!
Copper gaskets were recommended at one point in time. Using any type of gasket will need to be retorqued at least 3 times at different temperatures to be reliable on any type of heads on these engines. Once at installation, cold. Once when engine is hot at about a hundred miles and once again another 100 miles cold. Check the torque at every tuneup or oil change, your choice, using the proper sequence. Very important. Personally, I don't like copper gaskets unless both heads and block deck have been resurfaced. In my opinion, for what it's worth, I like Best Gaskets Graftite gaskets for every situation. I assume you know that special washers have to be used under the bolt heads on aluminum heads and reduce the bolt torque to about 40 - 45 lbs. Retorquing is mandatory to assure no leaks or other failure, as is using the proper tightening sequence. Be sure to put sealant on the bolt threads. They go into the water passages. Plumbers' pipe dope is cheap and works as well as anything. Makes them easier to remove, too, in case you ever need to do that. You can make your own galvanic protection. Get a small thin sheet of Zinc and cut a strip about an inch wide and long enough to fit through the radiator fill when rolled up. Roll it up tightly and drop it in the radiator. Attach a piece of fishing line to the bottom center of the radiator cap and to your Zinc so you can fish it out to check or renew it. The electrolytic action will dissolve the Zinc and not your heads. Renew it every couple of years. Always use an anti rust product in the coolant on these engines. A bottle every year is a good investment.
EDIT : I may be way off base here. I got to thinking about this and was troubled by the fact that Graphite is on the very bottom of the Galvanic Table (most cathodic). What makes things (like composite gaskets) black I asked myself? I used our old friend, Google, and found that many (if not most) composite gaskets contain graphite. This puts it further away from Aluminum on the Galvanic Table than Copper, which increases the voltage difference between the dissimilar materials, therefore increasing the chances of galvanic corrosion. I now withdraw, my previous opinion and admit that this whole chemistry thing is above my pay grade. Hopefully, someone out there knows more about this and can lend a better opinion on this matter. My best opinion now is that properly installed head gaskets have very little contact with the electrolyte (engine coolant) and therefore the galvanic corrosion factor is of little impact. L̶o̶o̶k̶ a̶t̶ t̶h̶e̶ G̶a̶l̶v̶a̶n̶i̶c̶ T̶a̶b̶l̶e̶ b̶e̶f̶o̶r̶e̶ y̶o̶u̶ d̶e̶c̶i̶d̶e̶ t̶o̶ u̶s̶e̶ c̶o̶p̶p̶e̶r̶ h̶e̶a̶d̶ g̶a̶s̶k̶e̶t̶s̶. You want to use the least reactive gaskets you can find to reduce galvanic corrosion. This means composition.
Have you say...contacted...Edelbrock with your question ? Seems to me, to be one of the better places to go for a reasonably accurate answer. Mike
The recommendation to use Graphtite gaskets from Best Gasket is a good one. You'll likely find that they are the right choice for your application. High quality stuff. Third Gen Automotive Phone: 844-327-5988 Url: thirdgenauto.com 2600 Old Nashville Hwy McMinnville, TN 37110 I'd recommend these folks for a supplier. Michael is a great guy.
Good advice, except in my opinion, Magnesium is a better choice than Zinc because it is higher up op the Galvanic Table than Zinc, increasing the voltage difference and acting as a better sacrificial anode. It's also easy to get and fairly cheap if you use chunks of RV water heater sacrificial anodes, available from Amazon.
I wonder how the various auto makers torque the factory aluminum heads if they require retorquing after the engines are heated up, and again at mileage increments? I've got Felpro PermaTorque head gaskets on my Dart aluminum heads and using ARP studs. I torqued them down at 3 settings and left them overnight. Then double checked the final setting without any running time between. It's been 3 years, and so far about 9,000 miles and no issues.
So it’s been a long time since I’ve spun a wrench on someone else’s automobile to make a buck, been wrenching exclusively on my own cars and toys for just shy 40 years. My impression for what it’s worth (might not B much!) was that some of the more modern engines and sealing technologies often eliminated the need for retorquing? With the flathead however both the engine structure as well as I suspect the gasket technology would support a retorque? Hoping that the gasket manufacturer will have some guidance here? I’ll be a little gun shy to retorque a hot engine in this case, those old aluminum cylinder heads are pretty shallow unlike a modern head? Mayb warm or cold after a heat cycle? Regarding the corrosion issue, I’ve always been under the impression that a good 50/50 mix of anti freeze with distilled water was adequate to prevent corrosion as long as the coolant was changed out within its designed life? I’m under the impression that the distilled water part of that was important as it’s the mineral content within the water that creates the conductivity and the galvanic reaction. Opinions? I’ve a good friend who works with very high voltage transformers and drives, they utilize deionized water in the cooling system for that equipment as it’s nonconducting. I’ve noted that when I’ve occasionally taken the time to read the label on the premix 50/50 coolants I recall that they (some?) contain deionized water. (Might b a reason to buy the 50/50 but I’m too cheap to do so!) All that said I never put tap water in my engines, always mix the coolant with distilled water, ( you can acquire that at the grocery, try finding deionized water) All that said really appreciate everyone’s input, only been on the HAMB a coupla months and I’ve found an incredibly knowledgeable and supportive group here. Still learning how to navigate some aspects of the site! Thanks all, Al
It isn't the aluminum heads that make retorque on a flathead necessary, it's the relatively low torque and the fairly "soft" construction of the gaskets. It's just as needed on the iron heads. And as far as retorquing with the engine hot...I wouldn't do that. Let it fully cool.
I have to disagree with this. If the surfaces are flat and have been prepared properly, just the gaskets should be fine. (I usually smear some regular grease on both surfaces to make them easier to remove later, if necessary). The gasket manufacturers have spent many years and and a lot of money designing gaskets to do what they are supposed to do : seal two surfaces. All sealer does is make the gaskets harder to remove, probably causing them to be destroyed in the process. With the price of gaskets these days, being able to re-use them is a big plus.
The only ones I used to sometimes reuse were ported intake manifold gaskets. I used to get pretty thick ones, used no sealer and could pull the intake and not hurt the gasket. Then I'd put the gasket in water for a bit (to swell it up) and use it again. This was probably because I was about 18 years old and money was always tight! Plus, my neighbor (a brilliant mechanic, engineer, etc) - showed me the "soak in water" trick.
A pair of Fel-Pro head gaskets for an 8BA is close to eighty bucks at Rock Auto. At that rate, I've re-used a few. I used to be young and broke; now I'm old and on a fixed (actually, more like broken) income.
Have you looked at Cometic they are spendy but I’ve had excellent results with them although I don’t have a flat head so can’t speak as to how well they work on flat heads. I’ve also had good luck with copper coat or a silver spray paint with high solids on cheaper gaskets. Good luck Dan
I don't have any flat heads either but seems like the Cometic MLS would be a good choice just due to Iron and aluminum which have very different expansion rates. The Cometic is supposed to be able to cope with that.
I knew they were expensive, but HOLY CRAP! As I read the ads I checked out, they want between $175-$225 for each single gasket! You better be able to re-use them at that price.
Yes the last one I bought was $80 for one inline 4 gasket, I wonder why the flathead gaskets are so much I was thinking 150 for a set not 300 + wow too bad they are really good for aluminum heads on cast iron blocks. Dan
Yep! When I bought mine at Jegs, I didn't know it was for a single one . . . when they arrived, I thought they obviously made a mistake - and went back and looked. Then I thought "What the Hell, who sells a single head gasket for a V8?". I soon figured out it has to be due to the price - they get folks to buy one and think "that's not too bad" . . . then they find they need another to finish the job! LOL They are really good gaskets, but you must ensure that both the deck and head surfaces are withing the RA spec for smoothness. Kind of makes sense as the material is not going to "give" and fill machine cutter marks and/or corrosions like a composite gasket will.
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