Best head gasket for iron block with aluminum heads

I need a .040 head gasket for an iron block 440 with stealth heads. Can’t go any thinner. What gives the best results? I’ve heard some talk the Cometics may leak some. What about a felpro blue or maybe the better felpro gasket out there. I have new heads and a fresh cut deck.

Up to around 500-550hp or so, I’m perfectly happy with the 8519’s.

Cometics here and never an issue.

I've even pulled it apart and reused them once.

fel-pro 8519.

I've used a bunch of them on many B and RB motors with a lot of different brand aluminum heads

My vote would be for Cometic. I always used the real thin .018-.020 steel shim gaskets. Had to go to thicker ones and tried felpro ones and had some leaks. Switched to Cometics on it and it's been fine every since.

Be careful with the Stealth head and big block Edelbrock heads as the firering
Overhangs the chamber. This is why a lot of us started using the Felpro marine gasket which worked great. I’m in the shop and can’t check the number but it was something like 11059.

I sure wished my net would work out in my shop but the distance and a metal building say... nope

What kind of a cell phone do you have? If it is “hot spot” capable you can run your laptop off of it. I do it sometimes but usually have Spotify on my cell phone playing music through my stereo.

the fel-pro 1009 is the problem gasket. the 8519 fire ring doesn't hang into the bore.

My phone barely works out there.. I have to be next to the only window in the shop

The early Stealth heads indeed had some chamber overhang issues.

The ones I’ve seen in recent years have been fine with 8519’s.
But I always check it on any heads I’m installing.

I don’t ever use a 1009 on any 440 or 400 blocks.
Ive seen several examples of them getting torched when the fire ring slips inside the chamfer at the top of the bore.

The 8519 doesn’t have this problem.

The marine gasket should also be good.

Cometics will work fine as well, but on this type of mild street application, IMO..... they don’t work any “better”.

Sounds like you need to run a Cat5e or Cat6 cable out and put a second wifi router out there. Then just use a ethernet cable from the house router to a RJ-45 jack on both ends of the cable. Done this 100's of times for ADSL customers when I was working.

I didnt mean to disrupt Marks post... its not that much to just walk back into the house to
use the net

If your shop is on the same electric power supply as the house modem, try a power line ethernet adapter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywQeJCa3jl8

Thanks.. the wife will research it

Been using Mr Gasket MLS for 5 yrs on my 512 with no issues. I run Edelbrock heads and have 11.5 cr. If I remember right there are 3 different bore sizes and all are .040.