Early original head gasket 1851579

[Volksnut]

They seemed to get superseded to a gasket with no lower water passages. The Felpro 8519PT-1 I purchased don't have them either. Are those holes no longer needed, or are they part of the one size fits all as in Chinese ball caps.

 

[66Satellite47]

The Felpro 8519PT works well for a low/moderate CR motor. There is a small slit that replaced the larger hole. The slit does just fine.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Thing is all the holes in the middle of the block/head do is allow air to escape, you don't want water flowing through the middle or it bypasses the rear cylinders & they get no cooling... What you want is the water to leave the waterpump, pass through the block front to back, turn 180 degrees at the back of the block then travels forward through the heads...

 

[Volksnut]

Thanks guys

 

[F4R/T]

Interesting very interesting ! I have read a few articles about those gasket issues and always wondered if the slits were good enough.. Needless to say my builder recommended Cometic head gaskets when we put my RB together..

 

[beanhead]

They all had the slit over the upper holes--Not sure why the 8519 has the small holes between the lower bolt holes; 440 blocks and heads don't have any holes there.
I don't recall even the earlier gaskets having holes for the lower cooling holes in the deck/heads? But it's been awhile since I've had one in my hands.

Here's an 8519PT1 next to a mid-70s factory gasket, just for info--no lower holes. You can see the imprint from the small triangular hole in the cylinder head.

And these are reportedly factory '67 gaskets, no extra holes either.
Not my pic though so I can't be 100% certain on the part#...these were selling on fleabay.

 

[F4R/T]

Interesting

 

[66Satellite47]

Sorry, I missed that you were talking about the bottom of the gasket. I don't think the holes in the block aren't water passages, as I understand it they were for removing casting sand after the block was cast.

 

[Volksnut]

They all had the slit over the upper holes--Not sure why the 8519 has the small holes between the lower bolt holes; 440 blocks and heads don't have any holes there.
I don't recall even the earlier gaskets having holes for the lower cooling holes in the deck/heads? But it's been awhile since I've had one in my hands.

Here's an 8519PT1 next to a mid-70s factory gasket, just for info--no lower holes. You can see the imprint from the small triangular hole in the cylinder head.
View attachment 1120382



View attachment 1120385


And these are reportedly factory '67 gaskets, no extra holes either.
Not my pic though so I can't be 100% certain on the part#...these were selling on fleabay.
View attachment 1120393

I had to look again as I started doubting what I saw

 

[beanhead]

Sorry, I missed that you were talking about the bottom of the gasket. I don't think the holes in the block aren't water passages, as I understand it they were for removing casting sand after the block was cast.

Hmm that would explain why none of the gaskets have holes there. Thanks for the info!