Technical ***December 2025 Banger Meet Thread - The Little Saint Nick***

My buddy in Argentina sent me this...
Homemade body

 

Very cool.

 

glad you are having fun playing with old iron....
if a little will do a little good...
I seem to have the best luck with the graflex head gasket, liberal copper coat....
with a good wipe down of the bright mating surfaces, using acetone, prior to ***embly....

 

Also, winduptoy suggested this to me back in September when I was having a head gasket issue.

"I always torque to 55 ft lbs and start the engine without any coolant in it and let it idle until the head gets too hot to touch.
Then I re-torque it hot to 55
let it cool and re-check it to 55
fill the cooling system with water, then drive it and drain and re-torque when it is cold
Fill it with coolant and worry about other stuff"

On the re-torquing using ARP studs, the torque wrench pulled about another 1/4 turn.
I think not evenly torquing the head is what caused my gasket failure.
Warren

 

I had a composite head gasket blow years ago because I didn't retorque it after few hundred miles from fitment, seems it is very important

 

I ***** about the wind but I do get some great pics from it! I hope you guys all had a good 2025!

 

I spent some time on my rpu, getting it ready for some new years joy rides. First drive for 6 months View attachment 6608753