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What were they thinking

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Healey Nut

Healey Nut

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So why would they make the gasket web so narrow and that close to the firing zone of the cylinder . They could have made the gasket web wider to give more sealing area . Its not like the coolant holes need the space etc .
BT7 engine , in the process of rebuild .
Cylinder head almost ready for reassembly with new guides etc etc .
 

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I couldn't agree with you more. I guess they weren't worried about sealing the push rod holes for oil leaks either. My head gasket has weeped oil from along that edge now for quite a while. I haven't replaced the gasket because given where the head bolts are and where the push rod holes are I don't have a lot of faith that the new gasket won't weep there as well.
 
Healey Nut said:
So why would they make the gasket web so narrow and that close to the firing zone of the cylinder . They could have made the gasket web wider to give more sealing area . Its not like the coolant holes need the space etc .
BT7 engine , in the process of rebuild .
Cylinder head almost ready for reassembly with new guides etc etc .
Click to expand...

I have all my head gaskets custom made by https://www.cometic.com/search.html?q=austin+healey My race motors require a special thickness which they can can make in up to about .300. If you've shaved you head a little too much, they can help. You just need to call them direct, the web site's not going to give you the information you want.
 
dougie said:
I have all my head gaskets custom made by https://www.cometic.com/search.html?q=austin+healey My race motors require a special thickness which they can can make in up to about .300. If you've shaved you head a little too much, they can help. You just need to call them direct, the web site's not going to give you the information you want.
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Tks Dougie .
Im not in a bind with what I have it was just something pointed out to me by the machine shop . We were looking at the pitting that forms around the coolant passages and when I compared the gasket /block/head it becomes obvious that the pitting wont matter as there is no gasket there to seal . They could have made the webs wider and made the area of gasket coverage around the smily mouth coolant passages much better .
I havent had a head gasket failure (touchwood) but I would think that really thin web close to firing zone is the weakest link in the gasket.
 
What were they thinking? I'm assuming they know their business and know things casual observers do not.
Copper head gasket=race motor, correct? I assume those who make copper head gaskets really know their business.
 
Im not building a race motor , thats just what came in the kit .
The only thing racy about this restoration will be the look .
60s rally recreation with original factory hardtop and roof vent .
 
steveg said:
What were they thinking? I'm assuming they know their business and know things casual observers do not.
Copper head gasket=race motor, correct? I assume those who make copper head gaskets really know their business.
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No copper here, all steel and aluminum built to exact specifications required.

Custom Head Gasket.jpg
 
To fund WWII, t
he UK had to borrow from the US. The US ended the deal in 1945 and we had to start paying it back in dollars. This brought the country to it's knee's and rationing didn't officially end until the early '50's. I can still remember my dad having to buy petrol with his rationing book, hard on a Baker's roundsman. As
many of our foreign currency generating assets had been sold at fire-sale prices early in the war to pay for arms shipments exports to make foreign exchange to pay the loans were a priority.​

So I guess the answer to the question is "money and shortage of materials".

AJ​



The engine was never designed to be a "sports" model because, at the time, they didn't have plans for one.
 
mgtf328 said:
To fund WWII, the UK had to borrow from the US. The US ended the deal in 1945 and we had to start paying it back in dollars. This brought the country to its knees and rationing didn't officially end until the early '50's. I can still remember my Dad having to buy petrol with his rationing book, hard on a Baker's roundsman. As many of our foreign currency generating assets had been sold at fire-sale prices early in the war to pay for arms shipments, exports to make foreign exchange to pay the loans were a priority.
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Yes, and most people don't realize that Donald Healey's CBE ("Commander of the Order of the British Empire") was awarded not for his contribution to automotive design or for his achievements in motorsports, but for "services to export"; in other words, bringing badly needed cash into the British economy. That alone should tell you a lot about the state of the British economy in the post-WWII years.
 
IIRC, they also dumped dozens (hundreds?) of aircraft provided by FDR from 'Lend Lease' in the ocean, including quite a few F4U Corsairs. Today, a flyable Corsair is worth a million or more.
 
To drag us back to the thread's original topic, attached is a photo of the DW steel/composite head gasket I use with the DW aluminum "Fast Street" cylinder head. This is the spare I carry on top of the fuel tank under the floor of the boot. As you can see there is a good bit of material between the holes for the passages and cylinder bore. The original has been in place for about 60K miles without needing to be replaced or retorqued though I have lately had a teeny bit of water seepage above the number plate after shutdown as things cool and contract.
 

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If that's the DWR gasket, I think they all but guarantee it won't leak. Norman Nock recommended coating with WellSeal, basically a type of shellac. We used it on our BN2 and a stock gasket and no leaks, but it's only been driven maybe 1,000 miles. I think the quality of the gasket sets has gone down over the years; fortunately, I had an old set from way back and we used it on the BJ8 rebuild (can't think of the name of the company, but they are big in the business; originally made in England but who knows, now?). When I was shopping parts for the BJ8 I saw Moss had a 'premium' gasket for about $300; I'd bet a fin it's a DWR.
 
Yes, it is the DW steel/composite gasket which is recommended to use in conjunction with the AL heads.
 
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