My combo has copper head gaskets, my block has receiver grooves but the steel rings have been removed. The heads don't have receiver grooves machined into them, I know its preferred for the heads to have the groove but they never had them even with my old block.

So knowing that they did work before should I just reassemble as is, or have the grooves machined in the heads, or say nuts to all that and put in some MLS gaskets. This is a 432" low deck nitrous motor.

What would you do if you were me?
Steve

copper is a pain and a very old school fix--yea it seals compression as long as you have the o ring but they leak water like ...well...they will always leak water. A MLS will seal like a bank vault IF the surfaces are smooth per the MLS instructions -- that means SMOOTH. You already have the groves--NO need for reciever grooves in the heads unless you have a full blown funny car engine. Put the correct diameter wire back in--have a pro shop do that --goop up your new coppers with RTV around all the water holes or...surface the block and heads to MLS specs and then remember to spray the MLS gaskets with Holomar SPRAY ( about $50 a can) or...put a 1009 Fel pro on it at about $70 a pair and run the heck out of it trouble free--they will only fail between cyl's --I have run 15:1 alky with Fel Pro 1009's and they lasted all season--I have run them on blocks that had old o rings--then they last about 30-50 runs AND seal like a vault. Just my 2 cents worth

Yeah I know about the machining deal with the MLS gaskets, deal with them at work all the time. I'd have to get a slightly thicker set of gaskets to compensate for the loss of deck thickness (keep the pistons from smacking the heads). The block is over at my machine shop right now and the plan was to get the rings put back in and to install a new set of the new titan copper gaskets.
Steve