O-rings instaed of headgaskets?

kenpobuck · #1 (**permalink**) 10-25-2009, 06:24 PM

I was talking to a Ford mechanic last nite and he was telling me that people are useing o-rings instead of head gaskets on big power motors nowadays. I guess they are having the heads machined to accept o-rings and bolting the heads to the block metal to metal. Anyone else heard of this? He says it nearly eliminates blow outs. I am not so sure as it wouldn't stop bolts or studs from stretching woud it?

PLC7.3 · #2 (**permalink**) 10-25-2009, 07:56 PM

If you have the money to get your heads and block cut for orings which are normally used on dragsters or HP race cars go for it.

archangel · #3 (**permalink**) 10-25-2009, 08:07 PM

I don't think it's a rubber O ring, but a grove with an interference fit metal ring.

In the racing circuits the racing O ring heads I am familiar with have what I described above, but it just pinches the head gasket tighter instead of replacing it.

Dave Sponaugle · #4 (**permalink**) 10-25-2009, 10:22 PM

Still need head gaskets to seal the coolant and oil passages.

Yes the O ring is steel, not rubber.

Last I heard the machine work was around 1500 dollars just for O ring work.

Not that many machine shops have to tools to do the work.

joe f350 · #5 (**permalink**) 10-25-2009, 10:58 PM

1500 bucks ary they crazy thats worth more them the truck

kenpobuck · #6 (**permalink**) 10-26-2009, 06:56 PM

Well at least I know it is true, but I aint paying that lol.

Dave Sponaugle · #7 (**permalink**) 10-26-2009, 09:13 PM

Start talking 40 PSI boost, 18 to 1 compression, nitrous, water injection and hot IP, what is another 1500 for O rings to keep it all together.

kenpobuck · #8 (**permalink**) 10-28-2009, 09:05 PM

Some people have way to much money!

Marianna2003 · #9 (**permalink**) 10-30-2009, 10:28 PM

Dave aren't you running 'O'rings? I was under the impression that they were copper and they would install rubber orings around all of the other passages. I didn't think the heads were grooved at all, just the block. I know that the head gaskets for the old GMC ToroFlow engines were a steel ring cemented into a regular fiber head gasket so that the entire clamping load of the head bolts was on the ring with very little on the other parts of the gasket.

catfish101 · #10 (**permalink**) 10-30-2009, 11:19 PM

There are allot of engines like you are describing. VED12 Volvo engines are like that. They have rubber seals at the coolant passages and oil passages. Cat has engines like that. That isn't uncommon. The gasket basically holds the seals in place and acts a shim. The gasket plays another important parts. it shims the head to block which has an influence on the compression ratio. You you take out the gasket and put just sealing rings you would raise your ratio. You don't want that. On some engines if the block or head is machined to a specific points then an oversized head gasket is needed. I have been playing with a 6.9 motor and I have made a spacer to drop the compression ratio. I haven't messed with it in awhile. Been doing other things. Found some different push tubes and was in the middle of working out a different valve train. Solid lifters which needs different rocker arms. They have to be adjustable. It is a shame I don't have all the tools I would like to have or I would have made a direct injection heads for these blocks. Like many other things, this project is put on hold for other things.

Dodge/Cummins · #11 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 04:08 AM

There are guys with Cummins that are fire-ringed running 140 plus pounds of boost. BUT only that high on dyno runs or sled pulls.

Dave Sponaugle · #12 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 01:56 PM

I looked for copper head gaskets when I built my engine, only found them for the Stroke engines so I went with Fel Pro.

No machine shops around here install O rings, so the cost was out of the question for my build budget.