• Hey Guest!
    British Car Forum has been supporting enthusiasts for over 25 years by providing a great place to share our love for British cars. You can support our efforts by upgrading your membership for less than the dues of most car clubs. There are some perks with a member upgrade!

    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Upgraded members don't see this banner, nor will you see the Google ads that appear on the site.)
Tips
Tips

Wedge TR 89mm Head gasket ???

nissanite

Senior Member
Offline
My engine builder is looking for a proper head gasket for my 89mm engine. The standard head gasket has a smaller bore & would not be acceptable to him. He also stated the copper gasket I supplied would not be real good for street use.
Any help would be appreciated.
 
I'll be interested in hearing what the experts have to say on this. I thought the copper/composition gasket was original so curious to know why he would not think it would be good for street use.

A quick search found a place selling shim steel head gaskets for 87mm and 89mm liners (British Frame and Engine).

Scott
 
I'm guessing that the "copper" gasket referred to is a solid copper gasket, rather than the stock copper clad composition gasket. And from what I have heard, they are somewhat difficult to keep sealed, making them somewhat less suitable for the street. Note the special sealant that Moss (and Gasketworks) sells with them ... having to glue the engine together doesn't seem like the best idea to me.

Personally, I'd stick with the steel gasket recommended by BFE (who I believe supplies the 89mm sets to Moss).
 
I bought the gasket from BFE. Ken has supplied a few parts for my engine. That gasket hangs into the chamber on the 89mm. My builder (who builds some of the best race engines in the country) does not like that. I have ordered one from BPNW. We will see how that goes. I have a solid copper one but I hear that is ok for racing but not great for street.
Thanks for the advice.
 
nissanite said:
I bought the gasket from BFE. Ken has supplied a few parts for my engine. That gasket hangs into the chamber on the 89mm.
That's right, it needs to be trimmed back for use with 89mm liners.

You might talk to Ken again, ISTR he mentioned that they were trying to get a run made that specifically fit the 89mm. When you trim the 87mm to fit, it cuts away one of the sealing rings. You can't trim the composition gasket, which is why the 89mm liners require either solid copper or 'shim' steel.

Actually, when I bought my 89mm liners from Ken, he said he didn't recommend them for the street either. But some of us don't always listen to good advice :laugh:
 
Update on an old post:

Cometic has the 89mm bore head gaskets in stock. We bought 2 of them & I plan on ordering a couple to have just in case.

Jim Higgs from JB Racing is building this engine. He was not satisfied with the liners that I supplied so he made his own out of Steel stock. They are amazing.
The engine runs on the dyno like a sewing machine.
 
I've ued the Cometic MLS head gasket on several MG 1275 and 1800 race engines, it became the head gasket of choice for 15 to 1 compression ratio SCCA race 1275 engines, good product, I coat them with Permatex Hitak spray gasket, never had head gasket failure with the Cometic MLS. You can also custom order them in thicknesses up to .060" thick if needed.
 
Back
Top