I have a car that I cant find a head gasket for. Glas 1300 Gt. The motor was stuck from sitting parked for 20+ years,I took off the head because I couldnt get it to turn over. Somehow mice had gotten into it and filled a cylinder with bird seed. I cleaned it out and lube the walls oh the cylinders, so now it spins. The head gasket is in nice condition , I was very careful in the removal not to ****** it up. Since I cant find a new one what can I do to reuse this old one?
If it's one of the BMW-powered cars, I believe gaskets are, or were, still available. If it's the Glas engine, either clean it thoroughly & Permatex copper coat (NAPA or other fine parts stores ) it....or gasket companies like Cometic will make custom units. Won't be cheap, likely a few hundred dollars last I checked for customs. I'd coat yours & try it out.
I am not trying to argue, but if you do decide to try copper coat, DO NOT spray it on very thick. When that stuff gets hot, it melts away and leaves the gasket loose. Use it very thin if you use it at all. I tried it once on an outlet that looked a bit rough on the head surface and the housing surface. I used two of those stamped steel shim gaskets, each one sprayed twice with copper coat. When the engine warmed up the stuff oozed out and the gaskets became rather loose. I tried it different ways- putting the parts together while tacky, or while dry, or while very wet. Only the "very wet" method stayed put, at least it worked somewhat. I do not have any confidence for using it with compression, or combustion pressures. If I let it get tacky at all before ***embly, it would later ooze out when the temperatures went up and the sealer liquified again from the heat. Retorque, retorque.. I read in one of Smokey Yunic's books some time ago that he always used a product on his head gaskets that let him reuse the same head gaskets over and over again on his race cars. I can't remember the name of the stuff, but someone who has one of Smokey's old books may be able to find it.. I do remember that the name of the manufacturer was a common name like Mr Gasket, Moroso, or something familiar. It was a few decades ago when I read it, and just can't come up with the name of the substance. I hope it is still being made. Anyone able to track it down? I would do a search if I could come up with the name of it.
If you use the hi-temp copper, it most certainly does not "re-liquify" and ooze out. It's not a thermoplastic... it just burns if it gets too hot. I've had lots of luck with it on exhaust manifolds, but I dunno about a head.
To each his own. Use it if you like it. It oozed out when it got hot with mine. I had to retorque several times as it shrunk. Use it if you like it.
I believe the product you are thinking of was Moroso's "Smokey Seal". It was a flexible non-hardening epoxy; he talked them into carrying it, so they named it after him. So far as I know it was discontinued. Hard telling as Moroso's website is down & I believe they were sold to Compe***ion Engineering. Copper coat is intended to be used in very thin coats, & as mentioned, retorquing is a good idea. Hi-temp alminum spray paint is also commonly used & probably as effective (or not, depending on viewpoint). Another possibility would be to use a very thin layer of Gasgacinch around only the water p***ages instead.
Thanks for the help. I was wondering should I tape off the metal cylinder sealing ring when I spray the gasket or spray the whole gasket?
i have used just regular spray paint, let it dry and install. i have made head gaskets for motorbikes out of 20ga aluminum and they have run for years and been taken out and anealed and resused.
In order to get good success with the Hi-Temp Copper, you really need to use it properly. There is a specific installation procedure... The spray paint idea is interesting.. but using annealed Al or Cu **should** work. Take your original in and get a replica of it water jet cut out of 20 or 22 Ga Al. Probably cost you like 100 $.
The Gasket is fairly simple as the engine has a Belt driven cam. Four cylinder boree and 8 coolant pasages. Has anyone made a Head gasket from Copper or Alunimiun in their workshop? IMS is near by I could get the material from them.
If you were really brave you could attack a sheet of Al with a holesaw, using the stock gasket as a guide. If you are careful I bet you could make it work. Just make sure the Al is fully annealed before you install. You want it SOFT. Im not sure what would be the best alloy.
have you looked into getting one made? i've seen ads in Gas Engine Magazine of places that will make them..or maybe a little googling would find someone who could before you get one made or use the old one..are you sure you can't get one? i have to believe that someone somewhere supplies parts for this engine..what exactly is this engine?
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