I have an 8ba that has a cracked head, I am going to purchase a set of offenhauser finned aluminum heads to replace them with. I am getting the stud kit for offy heads also. my question is with head gaskets should I go with the copper gaskets, standard felpro, or something else? The truck is a 1948 the motor is 1951 it was rebuilt by someone I don't know about 10 years ago. was told that it has a mild cam in it and not a lot of miles on it. I have driven the truck and it runs great(wish my 50 ran that good) it is owned by an older friend that drives it slow and easy it's not a race truck. If you need more info please ask. I know someone will ask how the head got cracked, His son changed the thermostats and put the wrong bolt in and bottomed out the hole and cracked it. I have received great information every time I have posted here so thanks for helping, Jim.
"BEST" head gaskets are very good. Not cheap. http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Shop/Best-Gasket-Flathead-Gaskets/20.html?facet=GA_Brand:Best Gasket That being said, I have been using the same copper head gaskets on my 8BA since 1999 with no problems. Back then, I was not aware of "BEST" Gasket Co. Do a "Goggle" for Flathead ford engine gaskets and lots of info. comes up. If your engine has been "bored" you may need oversize gaskets so measure your cylinder bore and stroke to make sure what you are working with.
This is a great sealant for applying heads. http://images.oreillyauto.com/parts/img/large/per/80063c.jpg
Best gaskets are best! Why would you ever consider solid copper gaskets? They have no value unless you are using studs and "O" rings. I've used solid copper gaskets on my race engines every year since 1972. My flatheads (circa 2006) all have Best composiotion gaskets.
Thanks guys, I had searched Speedway yesterday and did not see (Best) only the copper and felpro. went back today and found them by name thanks again. Petejoe I have a can of that I bought for a lawn mower I worked on last year, thanks
Got most of my parts from speedway. The carbs and intake are on backorder. Jim Linder is out of stock on dist. Said it would be a couple of weeks. That gives me time to detail the rest of the engine bay.
The common copper gaskets are not solid copper, they are composition with copper on each side. I used them on several engines, sprayed with KW Copper Coat. Then, be very careful with the torque wrench. Sneak up on it, 30, - 35 - 40 - 45 - 50. 50 again. warm it up and cool it, 50 again. If a stud or two leaks, use pellets in the radiator. It should dry up in a couple days. Dont worry if it seeps. Drive it and add two more pellets.
I like copper gaskets myself. be sure and spray or brush them with copper coat head gasket prep and find the proper torque sequence for the flathead it is not what you would think that it is.
I got the copper gaskets, the man at speedway said the (best) gaskets wouldn't work with the offy heads said they had to be the copper ones. got a can of copper coat also. going to paint the heads red and sand the tops of the fins. We have a show on Saturday at the Shriners temple in Chattanooga Im not going to start on it until after the show.
What do you need for a distributor? I think I may have a couple 8ba style floating around. I ran the FelPro gaskets on my Merc with Offy heads and never had a problem.
Pete I purchased one from bubba's garage. Jim cuts a chevy dist to fit the flathead and removes the vacuum advance and builds in the mechanical advance. I took some fuel injection classes from Jim years ago and like the way he dose things. Just thought I would try one out. Like I said before I have not done much with flatheads but I got bit and I am learning with the help from everyone here. The truck I am working on belongs to a very good friend of mine that is a disabled American vet. who served in Vietnam. I am listning to him and what he wants the truck to look like. Calvin is an old drag racer and likes all the flashy chrome and speed parts so that is part of the reason for my choices on parts. Beaner I like copper too. It just seems more traditional! Thanks for watching guys
Calvin and his 1948 Ford Truck by harley jim posted Jan 23, 2013 at 8:57 AM world of wheels 2013 by harley jim posted Jan 23, 2013 at 8:30 AM first place in class, world of wheels 2013 by harley jim posted Jan 23, 2013 at 8:30 AM
copper is a "racer" part. One of the things that I have given thought to is that when you take a low compression motor like a stock(ish) flatty and throw a *diaper gasket (composite or cometic) on it you effectively lower the compression. You also change the quench, too much quench is worse then too little. *Note for the trolls: diaper gasket is not the proper name for the gaskets in question. it is also not normally used in SoCal or any other place in the universe, just a name given by a handful of engine builders in a very localized area to distinguish between a shim gasket and other gaskets used on engine both race and street.
One of the things that I have given thought to is that when you take a low compression motor like a stock(ish) flatty and throw a *diaper gasket (composite or cometic) on it you effectively lower the compression. You also change the quench, too much quench is worse then too little. What...too much quench? Only if the piston hits the head so much that the motor won't turn over! BS BS BS!
Quench is the distance from the top of the piston to the head surface. When you put a thicker gasket on an engine and do not adjust the pin location or the deck height to accommodate the thicker gasket you increase the quench not decrease it. It has been proven that when you increase your quench too much you also increase your opportunity to pre detonate. An optimum quench number for a lot of builders (me included) is .040, this is not always obtainable but close is cool unless you are building with a specific target in mind. I lived in Latin America for a while and something I learned from the Latinos is that a smart Matador gets familiar with the bull before he enters the arena.
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Best-...athead-Big-Bore-Head-Gaskets-Copper,7105.html Is this one recommended at all for the proper quench on a stock engine with alum. heads??
You know Jim knows a ton about flatheads in general, but you can get a ton of info at The Ford Barn too. Also shoeboxford.com can be of help too. A lot a guys including myself have ran flatheads with cracked heads - poured some head/block seal in it and fixed it right up. I think Ford even gave part numbers to cracked heads- lol!
Sodium Silicate, (aka, water-glass), will usually stop most leaks! It is an industrial strength stop-leak!! Just make sure the cooling system is CLEAN because if any antifreeze is left in it, the water-glass will create a mess when it mixes. pdq67
Sodium Silicate, I never knew that was water glass is. Most places have no idea what you are talking about when you say water glass, now I can find it without the guy knowing what it is that I am looking for. Thanks for the info.
Bludice, I have been to those sites (and a member there also) and am learning from everyone. I could have probably used some thread sealer and got it to stop but the old guy really perks up when someone starts paying attention to his truck, so it was for him as much as anything else. and I got to work on a really cool truck too. And knowing Ford they probably did give it a part number. LOL!!! just like there famous wiggle test on there flow charts, can't tell you how many times I saw a tech standing in the drive isle shaking his tail proclaiming to be performing the wiggle test!
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