Head gasket change

[Hooptybass]

Im gettin ready to tear down my Burb and im wondering if theres any certian brand of gaskets and head bolts i should think bout getting ?
Ima send the heads out to get checked b4 they go back on . Ive thought about studs but im not sure the prices on them

Thanks Brian

[DmaxMaverick]

Fel-Pro gaskets and bolts (available as a "kit"), without a doubt. Studs are a different story, requiring additional maintenance, and they cost 3-4X the bolts. An excellent and recommended upgrade, but it's not without drawbacks. From stock to significant power mods, the TTY bolts do fine.

[Robyn]

X2 on the Felpro stuff.

Another thing is to be absolutely sure that the decks and the heads are "SURGICALLY" clean and free of any crap on the gasket surfaces.

Pay special attention to the areas of the deck that the "fire ring" sits on.

Around cyls 1 and 2 near the front they can see erosion of the deck.

If you find any groove worn (erroded) into the block you have trouble brewing.

A dark stain is not really an issue, but an actual groove will ultimately see the gasket fail again.

The only fix is to tear the engine down completely and get the decks cut .010" and use the thicker Felpro gaskets.

You can usually see any trouble spots fairly easy. If you can feel it with your finger, its too much.

I have seen few 6.5 engines with high miles that had usable decks.

Just a heads up.

Be sure to get the late style Felpro gaskets that have the stainless reinforcing around the water passages at the ends.

The older ones did not. The Victor gaskets are not a good choice.


Missy

[Hooptybass]

Well little update .... we gotter apart and got a real bad cracked head with rust in the crack from setting for a bit b4 i tore it down .. so im looking for a set of heads now =( . Is there any brand i should stay away from ? Im wondering if a 6.5 N/a motor would have better heads on them since they never had any boost ? I ,know where there are 2 in a yard just setting there