Strand
Probationary Member
- 3
- 0
- Jun 13, 2002
I don't know why I'm bothering but here is my input on metal headgaskets.
I purchased an HKS metal gasket 3 or so years ago before the Mitsu metal ones became available. I mainly decided to go to it because it was reusable and well it was just one less thing to worry about. I had my head machined flat because it suffered an overheat but the block was untouched 90k old stocker.
The car went [email protected] on a 20g with it in there, no issues. Then I put a FP Red on the car, drove it 620 miles to Ohio for the Shootout, threw it straight onto the dyno off the street at Buschurs shop and laid down 470whp first pull with stock bottom end including balance shafts, drove it 620 miles back home. Then I went to the local 1/4 track and ran 11.1@130. It never lost one ounce of coolant.
Since then I have built the bottom end and reused the gasket. I used copper spray when I reused it but not originally. It has 1000 miles on the new motor with gasket reused so far with a lot of abuse tuning on race gas. No coolant loss.
I took it to the local 1/8th track to see what it would do on pump gas & 20 psi just for kicks last weekend. [email protected] without any prep to the car, I just turned off the A/C and ran it nice and easy.
Point being the HKS metal gasket works. I know plenty of guys using them. Never had any issues. Perhaps people having issues are not torquing the head properly or with enough torque. I go pretty damn tight on mine.
I installed one with my friend Victor (world's fastest galant) on his car and he reused it probably 6 times. He also drove 600 miles to the shootout and back and ran a 11.4@119 while he was there. No coolant loss.
But why listen to me? I only did all that with one. Aslan KNOWS otherwise.
Do I think the metal gasket is needed in any but extreme applications? No. Stick with a stocker, they work fine.
Greg
I purchased an HKS metal gasket 3 or so years ago before the Mitsu metal ones became available. I mainly decided to go to it because it was reusable and well it was just one less thing to worry about. I had my head machined flat because it suffered an overheat but the block was untouched 90k old stocker.
The car went [email protected] on a 20g with it in there, no issues. Then I put a FP Red on the car, drove it 620 miles to Ohio for the Shootout, threw it straight onto the dyno off the street at Buschurs shop and laid down 470whp first pull with stock bottom end including balance shafts, drove it 620 miles back home. Then I went to the local 1/4 track and ran 11.1@130. It never lost one ounce of coolant.
Since then I have built the bottom end and reused the gasket. I used copper spray when I reused it but not originally. It has 1000 miles on the new motor with gasket reused so far with a lot of abuse tuning on race gas. No coolant loss.
I took it to the local 1/8th track to see what it would do on pump gas & 20 psi just for kicks last weekend. [email protected] without any prep to the car, I just turned off the A/C and ran it nice and easy.
Point being the HKS metal gasket works. I know plenty of guys using them. Never had any issues. Perhaps people having issues are not torquing the head properly or with enough torque. I go pretty damn tight on mine.
I installed one with my friend Victor (world's fastest galant) on his car and he reused it probably 6 times. He also drove 600 miles to the shootout and back and ran a 11.4@119 while he was there. No coolant loss.
But why listen to me? I only did all that with one. Aslan KNOWS otherwise.
Do I think the metal gasket is needed in any but extreme applications? No. Stick with a stocker, they work fine.
Greg
Therefore, instead of pissing back and forth, I'll let whoever listens to you guys learn on their own. That's all.
On a good note, the head shop called today and said that EVERYTHING on the head checked out 100%. No leaks on the pressure test, valves look great and are seating just fine, surface is FLAT, etc. 
