Steel shim head gasket, retorque?

Posted By: AutoEngineer

Steel shim head gasket, retorque? - 03/13/11 10:27 PM

Hi

I was going to use genuine Mopar steel shim head gaskets with the 906 cast iron heads and applying a coat of copper spray to the gaskets before the installation.

I haven't used steel shim gaskets since the early 80's and have since that preferred Permatorque or MLS type gaskets. Using the steel shims would give a little higher compression ratio.

Should I retorque the heads, if I use the steel shim gaskets???

Posted By: 65racer

Re: Steel shim head gasket, retorque? - 03/13/11 10:40 PM

I always went thru the trouble to go back and retorque
mine after the engine had been freshely fired up, and never had any of the fasteners to move after initial torque, but for the past few seasons I have been having trouble with them staying sealed up,
after seasons end when the engine came apart, they would always be signs of leakage, no matter what I did, or how I prepped them, never had the problem until I started squeezing the engine more, just put a new engine in the car, and went to the thicker felpro gaskets, and just cut the block and heads some more to take up the area of the thicker gaskets, I was getting tired of taking the engine apart, and seeing black marks on the head gaskets, from leakage.

Dave

Posted By: Cab_Burge

Re: Steel shim head gasket, retorque? - 03/14/11 06:47 AM

Quote:

I always went thru the trouble to go back and retorque
mine after the engine had been freshely fired up, and never had any of the fasteners to move after initial torque, but for the past few seasons I have been having trouble with them staying sealed up,
after seasons end when the engine came apart, they would always be signs of leakage, no matter what I did, or how I prepped them, never had the problem until I started squeezing the engine more, just put a new engine in the car, and went to the thicker felpro gaskets, and just cut the block and heads some more to take up the area of the thicker gaskets, I was getting tired of taking the engine apart, and seeing black marks on the head gaskets, from leakage.

Dave

I used steel shims on my M.W. stocker for a lot of years when I ran it in NHRA stock, .022 thick. I've seen a lot of them have black marks bewteeen the cylinders and none of them leak bad enough to see it on a leakdown gauge

Same thing on iron head 440 with the thinner .017 thick steel shim head gaskests

I have blown a Fel Pro composition gasket that took the head and the block out(cut it like a cutting torch would) when it blew

Posted By: quickd100

Re: Steel shim head gasket, retorque? - 03/14/11 11:14 AM

I've never retorqued a steel shim gasket and never had one blow out on me. Dave

Posted By: Mr.Yuck

Re: Steel shim head gasket, retorque? - 03/14/11 01:53 PM

Quote:

I've never retorqued a steel shim gasket and never had one blow out on me. Dave

what he said

Posted By: MoparforLife

Re: Steel shim head gasket, retorque? - 03/14/11 07:15 PM

Quote:

I've never retorqued a steel shim gasket and never had one blow out on me. Dave

Posted By: AutoEngineer

Re: Steel shim head gasket, retorque? - 03/14/11 10:27 PM

Quote:

Quote:

I've never retorqued a steel shim gasket and never had one blow out on me. Dave

Have you been using copper gasket spray like VHT copper gasket cement?

Posted By: quickd100

Re: Steel shim head gasket, retorque? - 03/14/11 11:43 PM

Through the years I've put them on dry, shot them with rattle can paint, and tryed copper coat. Never had a problem using any of the above. Dave

Posted By: Mike Swann

Re: Steel shim head gasket, retorque? - 03/15/11 03:22 AM

Quote:

I've never retorqued a steel shim gasket and never had one blow out on me. Dave

Yep

Posted By: Cab_Burge

Re: Steel shim head gasket, retorque? - 03/15/11 04:37 AM

I've used Copper coat, silver paint, single and 3 or 4 layers and I've put them on dry

I've never blew one out

I do use three different torque steps like 25, 50 and then 65 ft lbs starting on the left head first, old superstition from way back, you don't really want to know why