Copper head gasket

[Chop!]

I've just had my AMC 1800 cylinder head skimmed and was hoping to rebuild using an old style copper head gasket, my engine reconditioner couldn't find any reference to one in his parts books.

Does anyone know where I can get a BMC B series 1800 copper head gasket? (I already have a head gasket set, but with a modern style fibre gasket)

[steamraiser2]

Try F W Thornton. They keep lots of obselete parts

[RLWP]

Why? The newer gasket will be easier to work with and more reliable

 

Richard

[hovrin]

Why not get some sheet copper and cut your own?

 

You may have to anneal it before use but if you have the standard one to use as a pattern it shouldn't be difficult.

[RLWP]

Why not get some sheet copper and cut your own?

 

You may have to anneal it before use but if you have the standard one to use as a pattern it shouldn't be difficult.

 

But why bother? The torque tightening will be different and unknown, the gasket is more difficult to work with and not as good as a modern composite gasket

 

It will definitely have to be annealed, which will distort it, otherwise it won't be soft enough to seal. This will be true of any old stock (should it happen to exist) as well

 

Richard

[Tony Brooks]

Why not get some sheet copper and cut your own?

 

You may have to anneal it before use but if you have the standard one to use as a pattern it shouldn't be difficult.

 

Because they never were all copper but a copper - asbestos like material sandwich. I agree with Richard, why bother. Copper or composition they both should be renewed if the head comes off.

[Chop!]

I've been re-using the copper head gaskets on my 1939 BSA for 25 years! Just re-anneal.

I know that the racing boys prefer copper head gaskets on the 'A' series engines.

I put this request up to get a consensus of opinion, so thanks to all of you, I'll go with your knowledge

 

Try F W Thornton. They keep lots of obselete parts

Thanks Steamraiser, I'll make a note of them for future use, I have heard of them but never used them.....yet!

[RLWP]

I know that the racing boys prefer copper head gaskets on the 'A' series engines.

 

WHat, like this: http://www.minispares.com/Product.aspx?pid=37368

 

It's a copper faced composite gasket to make cleaning up easier - it doesn't stick to the head or block

 

Richard

[Chop!]

Hmmm? That could have been it then. Brian North was, coincidentally, just working on a racing 'A' series when I took my head in, and the customer had asked him to fit a copper (or possibly it was a composite/copper) gasket.

[RLWP]

It'll almost certainly be a copper composite one. Your solid copper one was state of the art in 1939*

 

Richard

 

*Hmm, I wonder if that's true. What does a RR Merlin have?

[p6rob]

Not sure if they are still going, but; we've had copper head gaskets for my parents Armstrong Siddeley motor cars made for us by Johnson Gaskets (01274-682298) in the past.

Not cheap and of no benefit if a decent gasket set is readily available.

 

If I remember correctly, the AS Star Sapphire still used a copper head gasket until production ceased in 1960. My Rovers (p6) originally used shellac coated shim steel back in 1963, after about 1966 they switched to composite. The Rover/Buick V8 production head gasket was shim steel right up until about 10 years ago, again, if I remember correctly.

[Albion]

The Rover/Buick V8 production head gasket was shim steel right up until about 10 years ago, again, if I remember correctly.

Hhmm, are you sure it wasn't the inlet manifold gasket? I seem to remember them sitting in the vee between the heads and the block and bolting down the inlet manifold.

Roger

[p6rob]

Yep, positive (though I did just double check on v8engines.com). You are right too, the inlet manifold/valley gasket was also shim steel up until 'recently'.

[bizzard]

Indeed they were shim steel.

Fords years ago used pressed shim steel head gaskets on their Mk11-Mk111 Consul-Zephyr straight 4 cyl and 6cyl Zephyr and Zodiac engines. And on possibly the older Mk1's too but I can't quite remember. As did Jaguar on their old straight 6 engine range.

Edited November 5, 2013 by bizzard

[XAlan W]

If you MUST have a copper head gasket have a look in a copy of Stationary engine magazine there is an advert in there some guy will make up any type of gasket, in almost any material & he is rated by the SE bods

[Timleech]

Indeed they were shim steel.

Fords years ago used pressed shim steel head gaskets on their Mk11-Mk111 Consul-Zephyr straight 4 cyl and 6cyl Zephyr and Zodiac engines. And on possibly the older Mk1's too but I can't quite remember. As did Jaguar on their old straight 6 engine range.

 

Gardner LW etc use corrugated steel gaskets, replacing copper-asbestos earlier on. They do have discrete rubber seals for the water passages, though. The L2 uses solid copper, which can be annealed and re-used many times.

 

Tim

[Chop!]

I made the head gaskets for my 1939 BSA 1000cc v-twin, I just re-anneal them each time.

Mind you, it has only a 4 to 1 compression ratio and no water channels!

[MtB]

I've been re-using the copper head gaskets on my 1939 BSA for 25 years! Just re-anneal.

I know that the racing boys prefer copper head gaskets on the 'A' series engines.

I put this request up to get a consensus of opinion, so thanks to all of you, I'll go with your knowledge

 

Thanks Steamraiser, I'll make a note of them for future use, I have heard of them but never used them.....yet!

 

Yes I seem to remember solid copper head gaskets being preferred on racing Mini engines too back in the ealry 1970s. Constant confusion then too between copper-faced composite gaskets which looked at a glance to the uncritical eye just like real solid copper annealable re-usable gaskets. Totally different when you picked one up though and felt the weight.

 

MtB

P.S. I've an idea Siera Cosworth engines needed solid copper head gaskets too when the turbo pressure was boosted a long way beyond Ford spec by the after-market programmers.

[The Pipe]

 

*Hmm, I wonder if that's true. What does a RR Merlin have?

The cylinder head sealed with the wet liner top flange.

Finally got it right, when we stripped them down in the training school you did not take the head off you pulled the whole block off. Not that the ones we played with would ever fly again.

Edited December 3, 2013 by Jim Evans

[koukouvagia]

Indeed they were shim steel.

Fords years ago used pressed shim steel head gaskets on their Mk11-Mk111 Consul-Zephyr straight 4 cyl and 6cyl Zephyr and Zodiac engines. And on possibly the older Mk1's too but I can't quite remember. As did Jaguar on their old straight 6 engine range.

 

Kelvins too have shim steel head gaskets (or "joints" as they were called).

[Timleech]

 

Kelvins too have shim steel head gaskets (or "joints" as they were called).

 

 

...SOME Kelvins...

[RLWP]

 

P.S. I've an idea Siera Cosworth engines needed solid copper head gaskets too when the turbo pressure was boosted a long way beyond Ford spec by the after-market programmers.

 

I strongly suspect that they were fitting a thick gasket to lower the compression ratio

 

Richard