The Ford Barn - View Single Post - What is the best head gasket for Alum heads

tubman · 04-01-2024, 08:12 PM

Interesting topic. We just went around with this several times on the H.A.M.B. The consensus is that the important thing is quality, not material. "Best" and "Fel-Pro" brands are good, both being made of composite. "Cometic" came into the discussion, but if you read their ads carefully (confirmed by a member there), they want well over $100 per gasket, which to my mind, is prohibitively expensive.

In my personal opinion, surface preparation is important, and allows the gaskets to be installed without sealer. To me, using sealer on gaskets just makes removing them difficult, usually ending up with destroying them. At the current prices, being able to re-use a gasket if you have a "boo-boo" during installation is a good thing. Just make sure the surface is flat and clean, and use a little regular grease for installation and you will be fine. Gasket manufacturers spend a lot of time designing their gaskets to seal two surfaces; let them do their job.

04-01-2024, 08:12 PM	#2
tubman Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Minnesota, Florida Keys Posts: 10,392	Re: What is the best head gasket for Alum heads Interesting topic. We just went around with this several times on the H.A.M.B. The consensus is that the important thing is quality, not material. "Best" and "Fel-Pro" brands are good, both being made of composite. "Cometic" came into the discussion, but if you read their ads carefully (confirmed by a member there), they want well over $100 per gasket, which to my mind, is prohibitively expensive. In my personal opinion, surface preparation is important, and allows the gaskets to be installed without sealer. To me, using sealer on gaskets just makes removing them difficult, usually ending up with destroying them. At the current prices, being able to re-use a gasket if you have a "boo-boo" during installation is a good thing. Just make sure the surface is flat and clean, and use a little regular grease for installation and you will be fine. Gasket manufacturers spend a lot of time designing their gaskets to seal two surfaces; let them do their job.