Bump! Anything new Marc? How are you doing?

 

Doing great Steve, thanks for asking.
Lots going on.
Really stoked about getting it back together.
Been waiting on a new head gasket that my brother and I designed.
If you remember he is a manufacturer. I thought there was room for improvement in the current offerings for warmed up engines.
I'll have it in my hands soon and do a full write up.
Meanwhile I'm working on my Fairlane and Mustang engines and doing rust repair on the Fairlane.
Livin' the dream.

 

Hey Marc, Keep me updated on your Head gasket Progress.... I want to build a bigger better Mill for my 64.. and I will be looking for the best of the best...

I was bummed to find out about Steve Price... Sad deal! I really liked him, and he was darned near a neighbor..

Cheers to you and your better half...

 

Thanks bud
Yeah still bummin' about Steve.
I'll let you know about the gasket.
Hope all is well in your world.

 

Just busy as hell with work... you know how it is!

 

One of those things I wanted to get to but didn't have time was a bearing install for my clutch and brake pedal.
I installed a McLeod clutch with a lot more spring pressure than stock and was not liking how the pedal felt.
No problems now.

 

That mustang Steve kit is slicker then glass, isn't it? I wish I would've found it years ago.

 

Yeah, really slick.

 

Well it's been a while but it looks like the end of the wait is near.
Got the gasket that my brother and I worked on. Pics below.
Dustin says my engine should be done Sunday if all goes well.
Told me the problems he found with the heads.
The deck wasn't flat, had a real rough finish and some of the valve guides were f'd up enough to score a couple valves.
So in hind sight I'm really glad I took it out and apart.
I had the heads done a while before the engine went together by a local company that is supposed to be the old guard stand by for head service.
Turns out they're not. Oh well live and learn.
These guys had done an engine before for me and it still runs great.
I guess shiite happens, but it's really a **** off.
When coupled with the previously described bad design of the head gasket there was no chance.
Ok out with the old and in with the new.
I know it may seem a bit **** or over the top to re design a gasket for an engine that has been around for decades but with the new innovations for the FE I figured, why not since I happen to have an in into the gasket world.
The gasket itself is a composite made of an aluminum skeleton covered with a mil spec coating and a steel fire ring. There are also beads around all the liquid pass throughs to increase clamping force.
If you look closely you'll see that we have taken out the metering holes in the gasket that control the amount of oil from the block to the head. Since everybody I know meters the oil to the head at the rockers with a jet or in the block with same, the small metering orifice has no purpose.
Plus with the new high volume high pressure pumps nowadays the oil is being forced up into the gasket shoving it up and trying to seep anywhere it can. Like under the gasket. The new configuration does away with any stoppage point for oil and lets it flow to the bolt and up easily. So obviously this gasket is for engines that have some type of oil to head metering other than the gasket.
The coating on the gasket is supplied by a company exclusively to SCE. It's a military supply company looking to branch out.
See what you think.
OBTW
The first size is a 4.250 bore and clamping thickness is .040

 

Oooohh! Meee liiike!

 

Well whaddya know. You actually went out and had a gasket made. Cool! Let's hope this one works.

 

Looks sweet. But I have couple of questions though. 1 are you guys planning on making them for the mass market? 2 Any thoughts of making gasket sets for the 335 series engines let alone the other Ford engines ?

 

Yes, they are for the mass market. The gasket you are looking at is the very first one off the line.
And there will be different sizes for the FE. For instance the next size they will run will be for the .030 over 390 guys as there are lots out there.
And yes they already cover your 335 stuff.
I guess I should be careful about getting into advertising.
But my brother owns two companies. SCE and SPM. Check the online catalogs.
They have their own lines plus they make lines for other companies that you all know.
Have to give my bro' and his company props.
To see the need and snap to and make an entire new line to help us FE guys is pretty damn cool.

 

Sweet thanks for the info. I'll definitely look into them.

 

So where can we get those gaskets from? Website? I have 3 FE390's that I need to rebuild. Those look sweet.