Re: 288 Head Gasket and Block Issues

Posted by PennyPackard On 2023/6/15 9:51:30

Hi all, so thank you for the replies, I was able to get it all cleaned and together. The good news is that the head gasket seems to be working well, the car has some more pep and seems a bit smoother/better overall in that department. I followed Dave's article on the process and retorquing, just waiting for the final post 100 miler now but no leaks there. The car is movable and that's good at least. Some things I experienced about the reassembly that I'll say in case it helps others:
-I got to a point where I had to call it when it came to cleaning the block itself and the pistons because I was likely not cleaning it any more and just repeatedly wiping it down with no further benefit. The head, being out of the car, I did first and was able to get it ready to eat off of.
-I didn't realize the gasket would need some convincing to get over the studs, particularly the large one next to the thermostat housing. This made it bend all around but I avoided kinks or any major damage... still unexpected I guess in my head I naively pictured it sliding right on. Paired with the tacky copper spray, being outside in the driveway, and the heft of getting the head back on by myself, it felt a little like I prepped for surgery then had to crawl into the room on my hands and knees.
-I forgot that the stud behind the thermostat neck is super close to the neck flange itself which presents challenges, to the point where mine actually interfered with getting a seal on the neck flange gasket. Rather than untorque the head nut and reorient the washer (which had a side cut flat), I decided to grind a bit at the neck flange to get enough clearance, it looked like someone previously poorly did the same type of thing so I did a bit of a better cleanup and also tried to get the sealing surfaces of the bottom aligned a bit better too (without removing too much strength). Next I also needed gasket sealer like a permatex to really get that neck gasket to hold the water again, I knew this from when I replaced the thermostat before but just forgot and it cost me another day because you don't really find out until you get everything filled up and ready to start.

Unfortunately today I did need to refill the water after the heat started to build and I checked to find it low, so I might have a thirsty crack in the block. Still have some hope that it's the system working out air bubbles and filling the heater. But, given I did an initial refill after the short run before the final retorque, I think today's fill is most likely something else. Major bummer.

Plan from now, pick one of these "chemical magic" block sealers as a Hail Mary to buy more time. Long term is hoping a rebuildable good engine/block surfaces here in the NE. Here are my new questions:
-Does anyone have a positive experience with irontite or something similar? (I know they all have failures, but I'm trying to identify which ones have actually had some success).
-Does it make sense to bypass the heater for this sealing? I've heard they can be negatively impacted