Head Gaskets Mods?

[tractorjames]

Just got my heads back yesterday.

I've done a search and read through some old threads RE. head gasket misalignment and where there are gaping big slots in the heads and tiny holes in the BGA gaskets.

This conclusion I have drawn is that this is intentional and to restrict and redirect water flow as required and I shouldn't modify the gasket to "improve" it.

Just wondering if this is the general answer?

Many Thanks,
James

[DJT]

The BGA gaskets are the same design as Payen. Just fit them, don't modify.

[tractorjames]

The BGA gaskets are the same design as Payen. Just fit them, don't modify.

That's what I was hoping to hear.

Many Thanks,
James

[Paul Goldsmith]

Tony Hart is selling some redesigned head gaskets which I understand block off the blind waterways from the block to the head (to prevent corrosion in those areas) - anybody know whether the actual gasket slots are still the same as original ?

[Motorsport Micky]

On a different tack I drilled the block (in situ, you just climb into the engine bay with a Black and Decker) to coincide with any holes to allow a free movement of water and prevent any localised hotspots in the centre of the block. Did It over 11 years ago and over 23,000 miles and it's still ok with no gasket problems and an engine that that runs at temperature like a modern one, just my own fix and it can be reversed easily with cheese headed screws in the holes if needed.

Sorry, I didn't have a pot of tea made so I could consider the flow of the tea leaves sucking my teeth whilst monitoring them lol.

Micky

[stagmuffin]

Cant say i agree with that micky!! I think a dewalt would of been better lol. I am interested though did you take wny pics and how was the engine running before was this done in isolation or as part of a part of a package of cooling mods.
Steve

[Motorsport Micky]

Heads had been off for rework because of failed head gasket, engine had run ok for 3 years since I'd bought the car and then started with the familiar repro jackshaft/waterpump soft gears syndrome. Yes the heads were a b##ger to get off with 3 seized studs which had to be cut, I decided to change that also ! (see below).

After a replacement jackshaft and water pump which again failed after 1500 miles with soft gears I got tired of having a 3.00 litre kettle and decided to diagnose and fix once and for all. So replacements were a used Stag jackshaft which I bought with nice markings on the gear teeth showing correct alignment and hardness were present, and a donor TR7 watershaft again with nice hard teeth and wear pattern which was reworked. At the same time after skimming the heads I checked the gaskets and corresponding waterways and decided that having blanked holes in the centre of the engine was a recipe for hot spots in trapped areas. so as outlined in earlier post #5 I opened up the block into the waterjacket in situ using the correct size drill to correspond with holes in the gasket. Drilled out carefully with lots of grease on the tip as it broke through so minimising any swarf into the water ways, sorry no pics, didn't think it would be earth shattering development. I considered if it went the wrong way with the mod the holes I put in the block I could easily fill with cheese headed screws as I recounted, as it happens the mod it seems fine.

Back to the clamping fixes, the head was drilled out by hand plus 20 thou dia as I remember on the standard stud holes fitted, to allow greater space for any corrosion, the replacement studs coated with copperslip and they were lightly screwed in by hand to the block. I've previously posted how misguided I consider having both studs and bolts to retain the heads are, especially considering that

a) They are a mixture of studs and bolts which because of their composition have torque applied in different manners, the studs having 2 threads which are in expansion and stretching differently to bolts which only have one.

b) they are all different lengths, the longest the studs with threaded hole in block and nuts at the top, medium length bolts and short length bolts and yet all supposed to be torqued to the same tolerance ?

So the studs were fitted (with copperslip on the shanks only) and torqued to 65lbs ft torque, allowing the stud to stretch and threads to loosen as expected and hopefully settle at the 55lbs ft needed. The longest bolts were fitted at the recommended 55lbs ft torque, and the shorter bolts on the outside of the heads torqued to only 35lbs ft reflecting their shorter length and lesser propensity to stretch and also to avoid them having the affect of tilting the head towards the outside of the engine.

I only recount the above to let you know what I did, it appears to have had no bad affects and insofar as the engine runs well, increasing and reducing temperature as I expect engines I build to do, and after a 11 year time lapse is still running ok I consider it to be successful. Every 4 or 5 months the forum has a thread (sometimes 2 or 3 ) bemoaning the problems of getting the TV8 to run reliably and yet many engines are rebuilt along the lines of "trying to do the wrong things righter".I make no recommendation as to what you choose to do to your own engine everybody to his own.

As regards my own experience I won the TR Register Race championship twice with my own TR4 building the engines and developing all aspects of the suspension and handling myself, including the innovative "offset" head developed with Peter Burgess and built and run in 1988 by myself., subsequently copied by other users or builders (not always sucessfully). In contrast my old 4 cylinder TR was raced at Donington last August in a multi sports car race again winning and still using the offset head I built.
The following year I built the championship winning engine again a 4 cylinder which was fitted into my old TR4 having sold it to my sponsor who continued using it. The following 3 years I again won the same race championship but this time with a TR7V8 (see avatar) building the Rover V8 myself and using a unique suspension system developed with my mechanic Geoff Lee which didn't use anti roll bars front OR rear. Also over the years I've built over twenty 4 cylinder TR engines of varying specs from standard road trim to full race. I'm used to developing engines and cars.



Micky

[stagmuffin]

Thanks for the in depth reply micky,makes interesting reading.
Steve