Looking for some Moparts advice for filling a ring groove in a block. A previous owner of a block used an Isky tool o-ringed the block. Now the holes need to be filled with the copper wire (0.040/21-gauge). How do you ensure there is no leak path when the two halves come together? There will be a small gap I’m sure. Anyone have experience with this process and have any advice? Would prefer not to deck the block to remove ring groove.

When you install copper or other alloy O rings make sure to file the butting ends square, it takes a little time to get them right, make sure you place the butt end near/at the closest head bolt hole to the ring's outer diameter...
Personally I'd go with Stainless O rings and a copper head gasket in your case, SCE O Rings makes a nice Stainless O ring kit

Mike

Unless you are going to use a dead soft coordinator gasket d use any wire in the groove.

Yo have two choices.

1. Machine the decks own enough to eliminate the grooves. If you have the room to machine that much off that is the best choice.

2. If 1 isn't viable, you need to clean the grooves out until they are as spotless as you can get them. Take some J-B Weld and fill the grooves. Le it dry and the file it down flat and go. I've done it both ways and both work.

as you have suggested using JB weld, here is a question. what formula JB do you suggest, as now there are many types out there.
original, quick set, marine, etc.

My R1 block is o ringed,all I did was put a little devcon plasti steel epoxy where the grooves were very close to a water port. No problems in two and a half years.

What head gaskets are you going to use on the motor? How close are the inner sealing surfaces to the existing grooves in the block?

J-B Weld Extreme Heat.
R.

thanks ! i haven't seen that anywhere around here that sells JB products. i'll have to suggest they might consider getting some of that in stock. thanks again !

I just used plain old JB weld, but any one of the many now available will work. You just want something solid to fill the groove.