[TR] Could a steel shim head gasket be the answer to blowing head gaskets

[Randall]

> I think you're talking about two different things.

Nope, they are the same thing.

>  There are 
> also shim head gaskets that are thicker than normal head 
> gaskets

Not in steel.  Steel that thick would not deform and act as a gasket.  And
lots of folks seem to have a hard time getting the solid copper gaskets to
seal.

> though I think the head needs to 
> be torqued down more if you're doing that.

Nope, at least not with original studs.  Overtorquing is counterproductive;
it results in permanently distorting the studs and an overall reduction in
clamping force.

> Moss mentions part 694-505: "..as part of the compression 
> lowering kit.."

Which also includes a flat steel spacer, to be used between a regular gasket
and the "shim steel" gasket.  It's the entire stack that lowers the
compression, not just one component of it.

FWIW, on my engine with the inadequate liner protrusion, I found that adding
the 20 AWG "half hard" copper wire to a stock head gasket was easy and very
effective.  Superglue didn't occur to me, so I used ordinary 'electronic'
grade solder and a soldering gun.  Took perhaps 1/2 hour sitting at the
table to add wires around each cylinder, in the groove formed where the two
original sheets of copper are crimped together.  Didn't solder the entire
length, just tacked it in place at several points around the cylinder
opening.  Ends of the wire were overlapped slightly and sealed with solder.
The result worked great, both with the head milled too far to run on pump
gas and with a later standard head.  I even reused the same gasket!

Randall