Steve,
I once bought a NOS head gasket from a friend of mine for a Spitfire
engine. When I opened the package a little slip of paper fell out. It
was a notice from STANPART that said to be sure that after initial
installation, the engine be brought up to operating temperature and then
retorqued to the recommended specification while hot.
I assume this is required because composite gaskets will compress
initially and need to be tightened. I discovered when I first did it
that way that the bolts required a lot of turning before they were again
at the recommended torque. Maybe that is why the first head gasket
blew! :(
At any rate, it sounds like you are doing it right.
BTW, when I tried that on Mordy's copper gasket, no additional torque
was required.
Cheers,
Joe (C)
Gt6steve@aol.com wrote:
>
> Greetings Amici,
> I'd like to solicit the opinions of the group on retorquing the head gasket
> after the initial heat cycle. I've always warmed the engine to 200 degrees
> and then retorqued to spec while still hot. Presumably because of the hot
> melt sealant on the composition gaskets.
> A knowledgeable expert has suggested that to be wrong and advocates
> retorquing after the engine has cooled again.
> What do you all do?
> Does the process change with a copper head gasket as opposed to a composition?
> Inquiring minds want to know...
> Thanx in advance, Steve in Las Vegas
|