reuseable head gasket

[allrightmike]

  To what extant and under what circumstances are Cometic MLS head gaskets reusable? The set I have are quite thin at .026 if it matters and I am using ARP head studs. Also FYI my actual bore size is 4.270 so I ordered 4.400 gaskets and the gasket clears the bore with approx .060 or so quite evenly all around.

[ArtZarateJr]

Well, I run the same thickness Cometic a lot, and they're used to torque plate bore and hone the blocks. That requires that they're torqued down to spec.There's one use before final assembly.

On race engines, I've sprayed with copper coat when running water through the block and heads and I've gotten 5 maybe 6 uses, but that's as many as I've dared to chance.

On a street engine.....I've gone one reuse after engine break-in. That's all I've had to so far.

A solid copper gets many reuses and gets talked about. I think it seems like practicing black magic for some to reuse an MLS gasket. All I've commented on is in relation to the FE engine.

In the LS and SBF world that I also build in, the reuse is a common practice.

[BigBlueIron]

On the topic of torque plate honing. If a guy is just using regular fel pro's is a set of gaskets considered consumable for each hone job? Meaning you will need to buy 4 gaskets for each engine build? That makes a set of Cometics a lot easier to justify if so.

[pbf777]

On the topic of torque plate honing. If a guy is just using regular fel pro's is a set of gaskets considered consumable for each hone job?

     No; but there is point "down the road" at which the dedicated for honing gaskets should be replaced. 

     But do note that the "MLS"  and the "composite" type gaskets are ideally not interchangeable for proper effect in the honing process.   

     Scott.

[MeanGene]

With iron heads, I have had very good results using the old factory steel shim gaskets by spraying them with aluminum hi-heat header paint, let the first coat tack up, spray again and install wet. The set on the 427 in my Galaxie has been installed 4 times now, and still holding compression and coolant. Maybe the Ford engineers knew what they were doing lol

[ArtZarateJr]

On the topic of torque plate honing. If a guy is just using regular fel pro's is a set of gaskets considered consumable for each hone job? Meaning you will need to buy 4 gaskets for each engine build? That makes a set of Cometics a lot easier to justify if so.

On the composite gaskets, I've found them to adhere quite well to the cast iron torque plate. I stopped using composite gaskets when my machinist and discussed RA. MLS for 25 years.

I don't coat them, although I don't see a problem with it. Especially since OEM procedure was to do so. FoMoCo is always right when they're right. If something is wrong....it's probably Asian.