head gasket question.
Thread Starter
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Tuned
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 383
Likes: 6
From: California
head gasket question.
So I've posted in here a few times that I have had problems putting my engine back together because I'm little hesitant being that its my first time. So where I'm at now is I have the heads back from the machine shop and I'm ready to install. The two things that are giving me difficulty now are; 1.I put a coat of copper gasket sealer on the head gasket(its a fel-pro out of the 302 engine kit) and I'm having concerns about that. The directions says "if supplementary sealer is desired, apply a thin coat of gasket sealer to both sides of gaskets... 2. The second question is what type of sealer to use for the head bolts that enter the water jacket, specifically. 3. Should I apply any lube to the cylinders, rocker arms, lifters, pushrods, maybe like assembly lube, motor oil, or some other lubricants? I kind of got in over my head on this one as far as experience goes. I'm definetly capable I just need the help of some people who have done this a few times before. Any other suggestions as far as re-assembly goes will be great. Thanks guys hope to hear from you soon. 
88 bronco with 302 and e4od
4" superlift w\33s
4.10s
88 bronco with 302 and e4od
4" superlift w\33s
4.10s
Moderator
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 56,990
Likes: 2,740
From: Virginia
head gasket question.
ALWAYS PRE-LUBE ALL INTERNAL MOVING PARTS! I laugh everytime I see them building something on TNN and they are assembling it dry.
Pre-lube the mains and rod bearings with engine oil.
Squirt engine oil liberally over the rings and the sides of the pistons before installing them.
Use pieces of hose or plastic grips off a set of pliers on the rod bolts when installing the piston/rod assemblies.
I have never used sealer on head gaskets and never had any trouble. I have heard if you want to use something, you can use aluminum spray paint.
A daub of silicon sealer on the head bolt threads always worked for me.
Go buy some moly grease made for camshafts and smear it on the lobes and the bottom of the lifters.
Smear a little bit of regular grease from the grease gun on the tips of the pushrods, and down in the rocker arms where they pivot.
Also never install rubber seals without a little oil on them. This would be the rear main and the front damper seal.
I also always use a THIN smear of silicon on all gaskets that seal coolant(except the head gasket which uses none).
Pre-lube the mains and rod bearings with engine oil.
Squirt engine oil liberally over the rings and the sides of the pistons before installing them.
Use pieces of hose or plastic grips off a set of pliers on the rod bolts when installing the piston/rod assemblies.
I have never used sealer on head gaskets and never had any trouble. I have heard if you want to use something, you can use aluminum spray paint.
A daub of silicon sealer on the head bolt threads always worked for me.
Go buy some moly grease made for camshafts and smear it on the lobes and the bottom of the lifters.
Smear a little bit of regular grease from the grease gun on the tips of the pushrods, and down in the rocker arms where they pivot.
Also never install rubber seals without a little oil on them. This would be the rear main and the front damper seal.
I also always use a THIN smear of silicon on all gaskets that seal coolant(except the head gasket which uses none).
Tuned
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 405
Likes: 2
From: Ft. Walton Bch 32547
head gasket question.
Use good head gaskets like Fel-Pro, and use no sealer. You don't have to re-torque a head if you use good gaskets.
I use spray-on copper gasket sealer on my head bolts, but you can use the liquid gasket sealer in the can that has the brush inside. As said, silicone would work too. I just don't like to use much silicone in my engines.
I like to use moly assembly lube. If I don't have any handy, I've use Lucas oil additive that comes in the white bottle that looks like gear oil. At the very least, use thick motor oil during reassembly. Hopefully you kept track, and put the pushrods back in the location where you removed them from. If not, you need to keep an eye (or an ear) on your engine. Pushrods tend to wear out quickly if not put back in the same location. I wouldn't use grease from the grease-gun like what franklin2 said. He may do it all the time and get away with it. That type of grease has a very high melting point. It can tend to plug up the small holes in your engine. At the very least, it will plug up your oil filter, at a time when you really need all the filtering you can get.
I use spray-on copper gasket sealer on my head bolts, but you can use the liquid gasket sealer in the can that has the brush inside. As said, silicone would work too. I just don't like to use much silicone in my engines.
I like to use moly assembly lube. If I don't have any handy, I've use Lucas oil additive that comes in the white bottle that looks like gear oil. At the very least, use thick motor oil during reassembly. Hopefully you kept track, and put the pushrods back in the location where you removed them from. If not, you need to keep an eye (or an ear) on your engine. Pushrods tend to wear out quickly if not put back in the same location. I wouldn't use grease from the grease-gun like what franklin2 said. He may do it all the time and get away with it. That type of grease has a very high melting point. It can tend to plug up the small holes in your engine. At the very least, it will plug up your oil filter, at a time when you really need all the filtering you can get.
Thread Starter
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Tuned
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 383
Likes: 6
From: California
head gasket question.
Hey thanks for the advice. I already applied the copper to the gasket so I was wondering if I should go with these or should I get new ones. You say the copper gasket works good for head bolts? Is that just the bolts that go into the water jacket? I was also looking at the block and I noticed that the 5-8 side of the block does not have a "guide", or whatever the circular one inch piece is thats around the head bolt on the exhaust side of the head in the front and rear of the engine is called. Is this a problem, and if so where can I get one from and what is it called? Anyhow, so I really appreciate the ideas and if you have any other words of advice please share them.
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,712
Likes: 1
From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
head gasket question.
I'd say that unless you're building something other than a Windsor engine, use Fel-Pro (P/N) 1011-2. This is the best head gasket I know of, I also ALWAYS use ARP bolts, studs wherever available. It;s better to pay 2x as much for parts than to have to do the job 2x. Just my 2 cents. Also, the ARP bolts will definately help the head gasket retention, they get much more clamping force than regular bolts. The Fel-Pro gaskets I mentioned already have beads of silicone in them, it's really slick.
The TorqueKing
The TorqueKing
