• Notice: If you're posting to get rid of the little man (Lucas), please post A NEW TOPIC with something meaningful. Tell us about yourself and your interest in British cars. You need not share anything too personal. NOTE: this New Member's Forum is only to introduce yourself. If you have specific questions about your little British car, please post those in the appropriate marque-related forum.
    Thanks and welcome to BCF!
    Basil
  • Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

New Member

Share this page

MrT

MrT

Freshman Member
Offline
Hello everyone I am a new member. I joined to hopfully get some tech info about head gaskets for my Spitfire 1500.
1975, I have redone the engine and am set up for about 11:1 compression no doubt it blew a stock head gasket. I have installed a copper one but am now dealing with leaks .
I have tried permatex copper gasket sealer which had many leaks , then retried with Hylomar brush on liquid with a few leaks . I am back to square one heads are off and ready to retry does any body have input? thanks
 
You might want to try what I'm doing, and that is I installed ARP Studs which I torqued to 60lbs (per their instructions). I used a stock head gasket. It remains to be seen whether this is going to solve my problem, (I have flat top pistons, thus higher compression also). Also, once you install the head and torque it, make sure to re-check the torque after driving it a while.

Oh, and welcome to our forums!
 
Basil, Thanks , I am using ARP they recomend 40lbs. I did use a stock gasket first it blew right out between the cyclinders. contacted the guy who built the short block and was told I must use a copper gasket the compression is too high for a stock. so , I checked around and all the other builders I talked to said the same. well now I have a copper gasket that won't seal , but have new hopes I am talking with a guy at Flat out racing and they make a rubber coated copper
gasket. many drag strip cars use them . so I just might order one up.
If anybody has something to add or suggest please reply.

Mr.T
 
I checked out Cometic , they told me they only had a copper head gasket.
did you get one with a rubber coating on it ? Cometic also makes MLS gaskets but they don't make one for the Spitfire and it would cost a few thousand to have them make it for me. Thanks
 
Welcome!

I am running 10.5:1 in racing 1500 with stock head studs and standard (Moss) headgasket. No problems. Did not use spray. Has at least 50 hours of racing on it.

Can't use 93 RON octane street gas or that may create problems. I use 100 octane race gas....otherwise you have to back ignition timing down to the point where the high compression is pointless.

You need to be sure that the head and block are truly flat. My head was slightly "off" (0.003" out of flat). I had the block decked at the same time.

G'luck!
 
MrT said:
Basil, Thanks , I am using ARP they recomend 40lbs.

Mr.T
Click to expand...

They recommended something like 40-45 IF you used the thread compound/goop they provided, in which case they told me to torque/untorque three times to cause the goop to spread evenly. However, they told me to torque to 60 ft/lbs if I just used regular oil on the threads (which I did).
 
Thanks everyone for the input. Aeronca65t : the heads and block are a fresh rebuild. but, I will have to double check again for flatness . I am a NJ native just wondering the town you are in . I lived in Millstone ( near Freehold twp.)
then moved to Princeton and now in Florida.

Basil : yea I have been using the ARP stuff . but maybe a few pounds more might help , This is a pure guess more torque is not always better. I am making another go at it this weekend and I will report back.

MR.T
 
T:

I drive through Princeton twice a week (on the way to babysitting my grandaughter).
Originally from Ireland, but I'm in Andover now.

I spent my teen life in Jackson and had lots of friends in the Freehold area.

One of my good friends used to play in Bruce's band when we were in our late teens and early 20s.
Seems funny but I was in a band back then too and I thought our's sounded better. :jester:
 
Well It looks like I got the head gasket situation worked out.
used Hylomar racing blue , the stuff works great and also I used the advice by Basil 30 weight oil on my ARP studs and torqued it down to 60lbs.

Doing some tuning and adding megajolt system. Then with luck I will hit the streets.
 
Back
Top