The stock gasket on the layer /6 was composite, not a shim. Measuring the fire ring shows it to be close to thickness of the replacement.
Van he get away with .020 or .030 without crashing the lifters?

Again, the only reason he bough this old low mileage farm truck was to avoid leaving his Redeye at the airport terminal for days on end.

We are brothers and sisters doing time on the planet for better or worse. I'll take the better, if you don't mind.
- Stu Harmon