best gasket ?

96b.boy

Registered User
need to order my gaskets and was wondering what the best were felpro ,sealed power,flatout?i really need to order my gasket set like yesterday it holdind up the rebuild but i realy don't want to have to do it twice thanks for any help
 
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Depends. Head gaskets right?

Felpro/Sealed power are the same. Can order a complete head set from www.supercoupeperformance.com or http://www.spinningwheels-sc.com/ that comes with head gaskets, intake gaskets, valve stem seals, and other various parts. (injector o-rings and others) This would be the stock replacement composite gasket.

Better would be the Felpro Permatorque MLS gasket but you would want to have a well surfaced deck and head before considering their use.

Either way, make sure you are using ARP head studs rather than factory replacement head bolts. I feel their improved clamping force is well worth the cost.
 
thanks for the help :) i have the arp head stud kit on it's way to me .i think I'll order the full felpro kt so i have ever thing and either go felpro mls or flat out cooper for the head gasket just to be safe. so my new question felpro mls or flat out copper head gaskets ?thanks for the help again mike
 
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On a stock motor there is no need for copper gaskets. MLS would be nice, but I didn't know a set was available for 3.8L I have the felpro perma-torque set on my car w/ felpro head bolts. I've ran it hot a few times by not watching the gauge (manual fan control) and they took the abuse. It doesn't lose a drop of antifreeze.
 
When would copper be needed? And my bad I meant the felpro perma-torque mls gaskets. Sorry, I just want to get the best I can find, I don’t like to do things twice and especially when I get her back in the car thanks for the help Scott
 
I have a stock motor.
And I installed the normal Felpro gaskets.
With ARP chevy studs.
The gaskets lasted less than 3000 miles.
The combustion ring blew out.

Every thing was installed proper.

Cause of blow-out,
Driving to far to dyno to get a tune,
State with bad gas were dyno was located.(no ethonal.)
gasket started seaping on dyno.
then not tuned properly.
Then a few miles later complete blow out.

Randy
 
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What???

Who tuned the car Randy? How can you post an improper tune when all the above was wrong to begin with the engine before you even pulled on the dyno?
 
ScrapSC said:
Who tuned the car Randy? How can you post an improper tune when all the above was wrong to begin with the engine before you even pulled on the dyno?

I listed in steps what happined To cause head gasket failure,plus other parts.

Randy
 
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Randy N Connie said:
I have a stock motor.
And I installed the normal Felpro gaskets.
With ARP chevy studs.
The gaskets lasted less than 3000 miles.
The combustion ring blew out.

Every thing was installed proper.

Cause of blow-out,
Driving to far to dyno to get a tune,
State with bad gas were dyno was located.(no ethonal.)
gasket started seaping on dyno.
then not tuned properly.
Then a few miles later complete blow out.

Randy

Randy not to pick on you but everything was not installed properly when you took your car to be tuned and I know this to be true because Dave Sabados and I both agreed to hold up the simi final round of the Shootout (Street stock class) for you to make a repair to your car that would have had a major effect on it being able to be tuned properly. If you recall you were given an opportunity to repair a major vac/boost leak in the stagging lanes, two days after having had your car tuned for which I can't imagine that you would want to hold the guy who tuned your car resposible. I would think that this was more than likely the major cause of your tunning issues and not the drive to the dyno or lack of ethonal in the fuel, also for what it is worth high RPM in and of itself does not cause detonation.

Charles
 
I do a check every time i raise the hood.The blower hat IC tube was not loose at the dyno.Nor was it loose after the dyno when I checked at the motel.

And were do you read that I hold any tuner responsible for listing steps
to a head gasket blow out.

And my final tune was done just a few hours before the race.Not two
days before.It was retuned because gas mileage dropped to 2.5 miles
per gallon.

I listed some steps to cause my last head gasket to go out.It does
not matter what gasket is used. I did not start this for the drama
you all like to turn a post into so well.I listed my problems for 96 b boy.
to look during and after for his head gasket replacment.

I am out of here. I was tring to help. I have no more post for drama
seaking queens.

Thanks Randy
 
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Randy, which ring blew out? Wondering if it's the same one that most have. That passenger side rear cylinder?

Felpro makes a Permatorque version of their standard 3.8 composite gasket which is a direct application for our car.
Felpro also makes a Permatorque MLS gasket that is an application for the Ford 1/2 ton with the 4.2l motor in it. I belive 99+. This gasket will work just fine in our block but is not part of it's application. No MLS gasket has a application in our block. We're just steeling from other applications.

As far as copper, you never want copper unless it is a full on straight out the door race car. Copper headgaksets leak on engine cool down and it get's a tad irritating. Really not ment for a street car.

Gauge the head gaskets you get based on what you intend to achieve with the car. If you don't have any goals go take it over 300-325rwhp, the standard head gaskets with ARP bolts and a good engine tune should do just fine.
 
Mike8675309 said:
Randy, which ring blew out? Wondering if it's the same one that most have. That passenger side rear cylinder?

Felpro makes a Permatorque version of their standard 3.8 composite gasket which is a direct application for our car.
Felpro also makes a Permatorque MLS gasket that is an application for the Ford 1/2 ton with the 4.2l motor in it. I belive 99+. This gasket will work just fine in our block but is not part of it's application. No MLS gasket has a application in our block. We're just steeling from other applications.

As far as copper, you never want copper unless it is a full on straight out the door race car. Copper headgaksets leak on engine cool down and it get's a tad irritating. Really not ment for a street car.

Gauge the head gaskets you get based on what you intend to achieve with the car. If you don't have any goals go take it over 300-325rwhp, the standard head gaskets with ARP bolts and a good engine tune should do just fine.

Mike I will tell you from my experience over the past few months that if your car is not tuned correctly and you have detonation there is no particular cylinder that will blow. The first set of gaskets I changed did have the passanger rear blown, the second set was the drivers side middle and rear, and the third set was the passanger side middle and yes all of these were on the same car and over the past three months or so. The gaskets were all the stock composite type however the failures were not the cause of the gaskets but rather the lack of fuel due to maxed out injectors which I was aware of and take full resposibilty for. As for choosing the best head gaskets everyone needs to keep in mind that none of them will last if the engine is detonating, the Felpro composits are the most forgiving for sealing with surface imperfections, the MLS is probably better if you have do the proper block and head finish. I would also add that although I have no experience with copper head gaskets on an SC I do use them on my 460 in my Mustang, iron block and aluminm heads and they have never leaked water nor have I ever had to retorque them, however I don't drive the car alot (maybe 1500-2000 miles per year) and I don't think I would want to use them on my SC because I wouldn't want to chance having these issues on my daily driver.

Charles
 
There is some feeling that proper cylinder balance is hindered by coolant flow through the heads thus a questionble engine is even worse off on the back cylinders then on the front ones. I really want to get the engine, someday onto a engine dyno and do some testing on coolant flow.

Of the two folks I've seen post after using copper gaskets, both reported leaks after installation on our motors. Many folks have had great sucess with the stock composite gaskets as well as the MLS, thus the need for a copper gasket is questionable. At least questionable at the common performance levels that have thus been achieved with this block. Who knows what the next few years may bring.

And I would agree, the state of tune of the engine is very critical in our applications.
 
Mike8675309 said:
There is some feeling that proper cylinder balance is hindered by coolant flow through the heads thus a questionble engine is even worse off on the back cylinders then on the front ones. I really want to get the engine, someday onto a engine dyno and do some testing on coolant flow.

Mike I have ported and port match heads to manifold coolant ports.
This has help me in the past in running a cooler engine..

Thanks Randy

Post Disclaimer for nit pickers.things that work for me may no work for you!
 
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