bore size help!!!

[moparsons]

You can prob go with just about any head gasket there. You just don't want the gasket to hang into the cyl bore. Cometics may be one of the best, but with a garden variety 361, I wouldn't waste money on anything fancy. Also, those gaskets require a very smooth deck surface to seal, as I understand. So you should resurface the block and heads before assembly to insure a good seal. The steel shim at .020" thick will get you some needed compression, seal well, and they are inexpensive. What heads are you using?

They're just my stock heads cleaned up with new valves and seats.

 

[moparsons]

I'm .040 over on my 440. Used Felpro 8519pt1 measured fine on head and cylinder clearance.
View attachment 397379

I think that is what is in it now. Which ever felpro comes with the gasket kit. I may go with them again as everyone says they do just fine. I'm hoping maybe they just weren't torqued properly and I don't have something more serious going on.

 

[khryslerkid]

I think that is what is in it now. Which ever felpro comes with the gasket kit. I may go with them again as everyone says they do just fine. I'm hoping maybe they just weren't torqued properly and I don't have something more serious going on.

What I like to do is, do your complete torque. Then just break your bolts loose and retorque again. Or wait a day and retorque again. Either method will get you a little more compressed gasket.

 

[miller]

This is just in case you haven't thought about it (lol).

If your simply going to change head gaskets...be sure you know the 'thickness' of the old gaskets, and use the same thickness on the new ones. That will assure you no problems with your push rods length.

 

[khryslerkid]

This is just in case you haven't thought about it (lol).

If your simply going to change head gaskets...be sure you know the 'thickness' of the old gaskets, and use the same thickness on the new ones. That will assure you no problems with your push rods length.

Good idea. Or check lifter preload before removing. Factory preload is probably quite a bit, so going from a factory to a bit heaver Felpro gasket will be fine. That's why its what's in the gasket set.

 

[Garys1969RR]

One question: Did you have a problem with the old head gasket? Was there a coolant or compression leak?

 

[moparsons]

Coolant in the oil

 

[Garys1969RR]

I think coolant would most easily get into the oil from the water passages at the top of the block. Maybe that's the only way, other than a crack in the block someplace. So check your gasket, to see if you can tell where it may have been leaking out along the top. Then it would flow down the lifter valley and get into the oil. Also check the block for signs of leaking. May not hurt to have a clean up resurfacing done on the heads.

 

[moparsons]

Yea...definitely going to investigate while it's apart. If they won't seal this time and I don't find an obvious leak point...I'll have a shop tear the whole thing down and check it out and freshen it up again.

 

[miller]

Water leak could also easily be getting into one of the cylinders...past piston rings, and into the oil. Take a good look at all your pistons for water damage, or rusting rings/cylinder walls.

 

[moparsons]

Water leak could also easily be getting into one of the cylinders...past piston rings, and into the oil. Take a good look at all your pistons for water damage, or rusting rings/cylinder walls.

Will do.

 

[khryslerkid]

Any coolant into the cylinders would cause some white smoke out the exhaust, whether it is a bad head gasket or crack in the head or block. If you find a clean, like new looking sparkplug, that can be a sign of coolant in that cylinder. Water getting into a cylinder will clean a sparkplug up like brand new.

Hopefully when you pull the heads you will see deterioration of the head gasket at one of the coolant passages. (Fingers crossed)

I had a '67 390 ford that had a hairline crack at one of the frost plugs. I just added Bars Leak to the cooling system. Ran the car for a couple of years and then parked it for about a year. I wanted to put it back on the road so one of the first things I did was change the oil. As soon as I removed the drain plug, green antifreeze came out. Then I remembered the hairline crack on the outside from a few years back and figured it must have had one internally also. Just replaced the engine after that.

 

[moparsons]

Any coolant into the cylinders would cause some white smoke out the exhaust, whether it is a bad head gasket or crack in the head or block.

Hopefully when you pull the heads you will see deterioration of the head gasket at one of the coolant passages. (Fingers crossed)

I had a '67 390 ford that had a hairline crack at one of the frost plugs. I just added Bars Leak to the cooling system. Ran the car for a couple of years and then parked it for about a year. I wanted to put it back on the road so one of the first things I did was change the oil. As soon as I removed the drain plug, green antifreeze came out. Then I remembered the hairline crack on the outside from a few years back and figured it must have had one internally also. Just replaced the engine after that.

Didn't have the white smoke. I hope to find a leak point in the gaskets. The rebuild isn't very old...but the previous owner did it. Really hope I don't have a Crack somewhere.