reusing cometic head gaskets

reusing cometic head gaskets - 02/11/09 04:21 AM

i am pulling the heads due to a water leak, i used cometics with copercoat on both sides, whats the best way to clean and reuse, and who has reused with sucess, thanks mike

Posted By: Ari440

Re: reusing cometic head gaskets - 02/11/09 04:27 AM

soak a rag with brakeclean and keep wipeing it down till the copper coating comes off

use two to three rags if coating builds up on the rags

this is my second time using the cometic gaskets

Posted By: wheelsup68dart

Re: reusing cometic head gaskets - 02/11/09 04:27 AM

Three times reused with success, cleaned with laquer thinner and let dry b4 recoating with your copper coat. I will not reuse a 4th time. I heard 3 times max.

Posted By: Stroker Scamp

Re: reusing cometic head gaskets - 02/11/09 04:41 AM

Quote:

Three times reused with success, cleaned with laquer thinner and let dry b4 recoating with your copper coat. I will not reuse a 4th time. I heard 3 times max.

did you keep them together (not cutting the rivets), mike

Posted By: Irun5snd8th

Re: reusing cometic head gaskets - 02/11/09 05:33 AM

I kept mine together without a problem.

Posted By: dave571

Re: reusing cometic head gaskets - 02/11/09 06:12 AM

I kept mine together also.

I also used brake clean on mine. I was advised afterward by another board member that the brake clean would dmamge the rubber coating on the gaskets. That was 2 years ago, and they're still fine.

FWIW I put them in dry when they were new, and just a light spray of copper coat the second time round.

Posted By: RonP

Re: reusing cometic head gaskets - 02/11/09 12:01 PM

Quote:

Quote:

Three times reused with success, cleaned with laquer thinner and let dry b4 recoating with your copper coat. I will not reuse a 4th time. I heard 3 times max.

did you keep them together (not cutting the rivets), mike

Not sure how it is going to work, but I just re-used mine the weekend at BG's place. We cut one rivet so the other would keep all 3 pieces together. Then after cleaning real good I swung the outer layers away and coated the steel shim with copper on each side, swung the outers back into place after the steel shim dried some and put one coat on the outer layers deck side and head side.