head gasket question

[Cirus_93TSI]

ok, my 91 is leaking coolant(straight water right now), i can see smoke from the exhaust, and a little water on my tailpipe, and my valve cover breather oozed out a milky mix of oil and water earlier(didnt drive it for about 3 days), so the head gasket must be bad

my queston is what would be the best head gasket to get without having to deck the head? stock? cosmetic(im wondering what exactly this is, or can i run a mls gasket without decking the head, the car will see about 20 psi and im doing arp head studs while the head is off

im just wondering whats the best to use, im probally doing the work myself so im not trying to get anything done to the head that i cant do myself.

 

[me612]

if u blew ur headgasket already, ur going to want to make sure your head surface is flat, or else u run the risk of blowing another headgasket sooner than later. Just get the head decked flat, then just go with ARP's and a stock OEM headgasket, plenty of people running that setup including me and making nice power without problems. Metal headgaskets don't always seal right unless both head and block surfaces are both flattened. Just go with ARP's torqued like 90 or so ft/lbs and OEM headgasket.

 

[Cirus_93TSI]

how much does getting a head decked usually cost? and how long does it take to do?
i need to get this done in a day of 2 at the most, i cant be waiting days on a machine shop with my engine in pieces, espicaly since i dont have access to any type of garage

im probally better off letting extreme do it, that way i dont have to deal with taking everything off the head to take it somewhere to get decked

 

[me612]

i guess it all depends on there work load. If they're extremely busy then its gunna take longer then a place that isn't. Around where i am, the Napa here that does all my machining is prolly in the middle, maybe leaning towards the busy side of the scale a litte, and if i were to bring a head in to get decked at noon, i'd have it back by the next day in the afternoon. a place that has less of a work load, they might be able to get it done for you that day if u bring it in early. Just call around and get estimates, but still i highly recommend getting it decked flat before u reinstall that head gasket. and taking the head apart is not that tough.