I had a thread going about my problem with a stuck head bolt on my 46 ford motor. A lot of good advice was given and I finally got it apart. The heads are ready to go off the be resurfaced, the block is all cleaned and I am left with the quandry of what head gaskets to use. I have a new set of Fel Pro's that have been in a drawer for 10 or 15 years, which I was going to use. My buddy "Flathead Ed" says I should only use "Best" brand. I have a set of Best 8 ba gaskets from another project, they look very nice but the lack of crush rings around the water passages concerns me. What do you guys think? My deck surface is pretty rough, looks like the original surface milling, .I am amazed at the grooves in the deck, looks like it was surfaced in a early 1900's saw mill. If I was building this motor I definitely would have the block re surfaced but this is a nice running stock Canadian flathead that was leaking a bit of compression into the water jacket, it is still in the car. My intention was to give it some love with fresh gaskets. I know variations of this thread have been posted numerous times over the years but none deal with my specific problem. By the way what is the scoop on the Cometic brand of head gaskets besides the crazy price? Thanks a bunch Rich
I always use the copper gaskets and haven't had any problems. Being old I shoot them with aluminum paint when using them on my Offenhauser heads, might be an old wives tale but learned that back in the 60's.
My Fel Pro gaskets are not the copper ones, they are the black composite ones with steel crush rings around the combustion chambers and copper rings around the water passages Rich
Not sure of the type head gasket your Felpro gaskets are. If the surfaces that contact the block deck and head are metallic then I would use either aluminum paint or K&W Copper Cote, and install while still sorta tacky. If the gaskets have composition surfaces, and metallic "fire rings", don't use paint, but maybe use the grease mentioned above.
I have always used Fel-Pro gaskets and have never had a problem. Unless yours are compromised in some way, use 'em. Also, I feel funny about using copper gaskets (from any source) with aluminum heads. Maybe it's just me. As Jack said, a good slathering of grease is all you need (unless you want a mess the next time you get into the engine).
there used to be an art to surfacing blocks and heads, coarse machined or not does have an impact on gasket life in heavy use. I dont claim to know the exact correct combination but its possible the original is coarse ground for good reason not due to lazy machinist.
Ford used a composite gasket with the aluminum heads from the factory in the 30's...I always used NOS Ford gaskets when I restored old flat motors years ago but those days are gone...Steel heads can use copper but I like a good composite gasket with aluminum heads...
When I first started working on cars in HS the parts store that offered a discount for auto shop students sold Fel Pro so that's all I used and never had an issue. When I rebuilt the flathead in my '39 p/u I bought all the parts from Red's and he supplied Best brand gaskets. Followed the directs from Best and no issues. My guess is that either brand is fine as long as you follow the manufacturer's recommendations.
I got this from the Fel-Pro website : "Our story is an American story; one that began in a tiny Chicago warehouse in 1918 and continues to this day. Our goal has been the same—manufacturing high-quality gaskets that install easily and provide a lasting leak-free seal. As the industry leader, we respond to new challenges with innovative materials, new technologies and a relentless focus on designing sealing solutions for the real-world conditions technicians face in the repair environment. With more than 100 years of expertise, we’ve earned our reputation as The Gaskets Professionals Trust™." I had used Fel-Pro gaskets for years with never any problems, well before I even heard of "Best" gaskets. Everybody on these boards wants old line American made products which is exactly what Fel-Pro produces. How doubt has arisen about their products is beyond me. Perhaps there is a cabal our there that sells "Best" products (for whatever reason) that is trying to promote them at Fel-Pro's expense? I am not in any way a conspiracy theorist, but I have to wonder where all of this anti-Fel-Pro bias on these boards started.
My avatar car the "Tubster" had a 50 merc motor with offy aluminum heads. the motor was together and running when I got it from a friend. After I got the car together I filled the radiator with water to check things out. The motor started right up, ran great. I got so involved with other projects that I forgot to drain the cooling system and fill with antifreeze. One day I went to start it up, no go, it was locked up. I pulled the plugs and one cylinder was full of water. I pulled the heads and lo and behold one water passage hole in the head was all eaten away. The head gaskets were composite with steel fire rings and copper crush rings around the water passages. These were new heads, not some corroded old swap meet things. Copper and aluminum do not go together in the presence of an electrolyte. Even though the coolant was tap water, it still set up an electrolytic reaction. I welded up the eroded spot, got some head gaskets without any copper and filled the cooling system with the proper coolant. Did I mention adding a sacrificial anode, {pencil zinc} to one if the pipe tapped holes in the head. No problems for years. I have been in the boat business for most of my working years. Electrolysis in salt water is a constant problem. Looks like it even sneaks up on old hot rods. Rich
My point is not an issue with Fel Pro, it is the mixture of copper against aluminum. The new gaskets in my Tubster were probably Fel Pro's just without the copper. All steel crush rings and fire rings. Rich
The theory behind painting the copper head gaskets with aluminum paint is to stop the electrolysis, the new anti freeze is designed for steel and aluminum systems. Most newer cars have aluminum parts bolted to the steel block.
Make sure to retorque head bolts after initial startup, and cool down. and at lest 3 or 4 more times after.
Brake 1000, love your avitar car, my 46 is a business coupe too. Steel and aluminum are a lot closer to each other on the galvanic series than aluminum and copper.. Modern coolants are much less prone to electrolysis than tap water, but it is still not a good idea to put copper next to aluminum. Rich
A Pencil zinc is a pipe plug with a sacrificial zinc anode threaded into it. You just thread it into the pipe tapped holes in the top of your aluminum head. Zinc being a less noble metal than aluminum goes away before the aluminum head. Google West Marine catalog. these things protect some very expensive marine engines. I also think hot water heaters have sacrificial zincs Rich
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