which headgasket

[86 wh1 t-type]

i bought a t-type has stroker motor,runs 10.30s popped a gasket,had cometic .050 compressed on it,if i didnt put the cometic back on what would be the next best or should i put them back on and what bout the spraying copper sealer on them,its a 3.840 bore.new to the buick seen,any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[buickGN3:16]

Check out RJC racing .com they got it Ll

 

[earlbrown]

I would go back with the exact same gasket you pulled out. It sounds like you bought a car faster than you're capable of building so it's safe to assume the person picked those gaskets out for a reason.

Personally I like to remove the rivet on side with only one, and spraying copper coat between the layers and on the outside. With a 10.30 car, I'm assuming you have studs. Make sure the head is flat flat flat and smooth smooth smooth before putting it back together. That method will allow you to crack pistons before the gasket lets go. That to me, is a good seal.

 

[86 wh1 t-type]

no ive built and raced several 8 second cars im just new to the buick v/6 engines.just asking ? no need to be a smartass.id rather pop a gasket than a piston.but im sure that was a smartass answer also

 

[earlbrown]

Actually it wasn't a smart ass answer. A person with a post count of 2 with a ten second car asked two very simplistic questions. (and your ONLY other post was even more simplistic.) Normally people that have the experience to build a 10 second car have put their hands on copper coat at least once or twice in their life and they know how to figure out if an air filter is slowing them down. (from now on, I'll highlight which ones are solid tech and which ones are smart assed comments)

Since you belong to the 'I use head gaskets as fuses' school of engine building, I would get the gasket that would make the least amount of mess when you pop the next one. Cometic doesn't make gaskets in .050" BTW(That one was semi-smart ass but true at the same time)


You said you bought a car that someone else built that runs 10's... I'm sure you know more than the guy that caused you car to run 10's so the head gaskets you popped HAVE to be the wrong ones. I can't wait to see it run 8's after you head gasket change... until you use it to save the pistons.
(that one was full on smart ass)

Now I'll leave you to collect valuable specific data on your engine that you didn't give enough specifics to answer correctly. (that one was smart ass too)


I'm sure the other educated people with experience will jump at the chance to hand out free advice to a newbie that pops off on post #3.

 

[dr_frankenstein]

Easy Earl.... I dont think he meant it.... i just think typing and describing such an event on the computer isnt this Kats bag...

i dunno.... **shrugs shoulders**

lets take a break and go find Miss Piggy...

 

[86 wh1 t-type]

wow nothing smartass about that reply,like i said ive been racing and building big block chevys n/a and nitrous for 30 years,only reason i came to this forum was this is my first turbo car,so i thought i could get some advice,reason it popped gasket is because previous owner had to lean,i bought it that way.but obviously this isnt the sight i thought it was.sorry were not all as smart as u ,so i wont be asking anymore ? on here.i guess if we were all a smart as u ,there would be no need for this forum,but hey nice talking to u,hope you feel better soon

 

[86 wh1 t-type]

oh and yes ive used copper spray alot on the big blocks

 

[highboostgn]

no ive built and raced several 8 second cars im just new to the buick v/6 engines.just asking ?

I think the key sentence here is "new to the buick v/6 engines". Take the advice

 

[earlbrown]

wow nothing smartass about that reply,like i said ive been racing and building big block chevys n/a and nitrous for 30 years,only reason i came to this forum was this is my first turbo car,so i thought i could get some advice,reason it popped gasket is because previous owner had to lean,i bought it that way.but obviously this isnt the sight i thought it was.sorry were not all as smart as u ,so i wont be asking anymore ? on here.i guess if we were all a smart as u ,there would be no need for this forum,but hey nice talking to u,hope you feel better soon

Ask all the questions you want. If the advice you get isn't what you wanted to hear, I can't help that.

You've got 30 years of BBC and 0 years on turbo Buicks. My original comment was to stick with what you had because there's a good chance whoever built it has more than your 0 years with turbo Buicks. (I stand by that statement BTW).

If I hurt your feelings, you need to stick a new Cometic in that car can sell it. If you think I'm bad, just wait until you start treating a TR like it's a N/A BBC....

 

[bogies87]

To the OP, first welcome to the wonderful world of turbo buicks. I can tell you from my experience (which i say is lengthy), these cars are absolutly nothing like the BBC or SBC with the exception they are both internal combustion.
Now earlbrown is a person that has more knowledge of these cars than anybody. He may be direct but thats why i like him. (And have never personally met him).
Your car is a 10sec V6. That itself is a pretty awsome dont you think?
BUT lean and boost dont mix... first lesson. Albeit the hard way, still a lesson.
But what earl said was true, the builder knew what he was doing and picked those gaskets for a reason. If your not familiar with tuning these things, THE FUSE, worked. Its better than picking up pieces of engine.
Put em back in, tune the car and learn everything you can about them.
When i first started with these cars 11's was the fast of the fast. Now there are low 10 sec street cars, full weight, stock blocked, air conditioned, cruise controlled, grocery getting machines out there.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

 

[ek02]

As info, TA Performance has multi-layer steel headgaskets for the 3.8 from .040-.120, and the 4.1 from .030-.120, and there is one that is .051 thick for the 3.8. They come in a plain package, but they look like Cometics to me.

 

[86 wh1 t-type]

its not being treated like a bbc,ive alwys like the t type so i bought one and im trying to get some ideas of how things work with them.sorry if i came across wrong,you find so many different stories im just asking opinions.like i said the guy i got it from leaned it and caused this i took it down and founds gasket,ive lowered boost and changed fueling,just dont want to be pullng apart all the time,so ii was just asking for info thats all

 

[blackgn1]

It takes alot to pop a Cometic. I would check everything closely.

 

[charlief1]

To the OP. I've got to agree here with the other members. These aren't NA or N2O cars that you can tune lean or half assed. They're finicky at best and if you don't do things right you'll soon be a member of the DOCC. That's when you realize that the car's moving and the crank is behind you. We have a tendency to be a bit rough on newbys because it's not unusual for someone to come on the board with a slightly modded car that drives nice but all the sudden they think that making a 10 second car is a breeze and all it will take is a few bolt on parts. When the last FF movie came out we had one a week who though that his/her car could be made into a slot car that would do 8 seconds in the quarter. We even had 1 guy that honestly believed his car did 0 to 60 in 2 seconds. It turned out that his car was a peg leg and he was blowing 1 tire off and watching the speedo. The advise you're getting here will help you get the car running right if you choose to listen to it. If you choose not to listen then I see you getting rid of the car or going the lazy way and putting a (God forbid) na v8 or ls based engine in it. The person that built your engine knew more than the average engine builder since you've got a 10 second capable car and he chose the head gaskets because those were the ones he thought would work the best for this engine. Second guessing and choosing a different one may work fine or possibly cost you an engine so do some research and ask questions so you're sure you pick the right ones.

 

[bison]

I'd take a close look at everything else. I've never blown a cometic and not hurt anything else. They certainly dont go easy. Copper spray won't do anything for clamping force. If the surfaces are flat and studs are used properly (which is not always the case) then it's all in keeping the cylinder pressure in check and making sure the tune is there. Feeding the engine enough fuel is a big oversight on the low 10 and faster combos. When you are making 130hp per hole at less than 5700rpm things go bad extremely fast.

 

[86 wh1 t-type]

thankss guys,it had been run lean popped at bottom.all other cylinders were fine,its a stroker motor ,champion cnc heads,k1 rods,wiseco pistons,champion ported intake,67gtq turbo,72 pound injectors,harland sharp rocker shafts,billet mains,i just orderded the cometics that were on it,thanks again.

 

[86 wh1 t-type]

i d have a couple other ? is 85 a good torque with the cometics and studs?also read bout the mid lenth studs to put 2 washers cause the nut runs out of thread? also retorqing after one or 2 heat cycles?

 

[highboostgn]

i d have a couple other ? is 85 a good torque with the cometics and studs?also read bout the mid lenth studs to put 2 washers cause the nut runs out of thread? also retorqing after one or 2 heat cycles?

I did mine at 90 with cometics. And yes put two extra washers on the very back and very front of each head.

 

[86 wh1 t-type]

thanks.i asked bout the washers because the head that blew gasket only had 1 washer on the end that blew,could this have added to why it blew,what bout retorqing