• From: Aumsville, Oregon (Near Salem)
  • Registered: 2010-08-22
  • Posts: 1,913

Topic: Head gasket material

Can anyone suggest a good online source for head gasket material?   Lots of places offer pre-cut head gaskets, and lots of places have every other kind of gasket material, but I can't seem to find one that offers head gasket material.   (OK, I found a Chinese outfit that will supply it in 100 meter rolls, but that is a bit more than I need.)

I tried several local auto supply stores, but none of them carry head gasket material.   They were eager to sell me pre-cut gaskets, right up until I told them it was for a 1959 Super Snipe.   Then they said they couldn't help me.

What do you do when you need a head gasket for an orphan engine?

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  • From: Shippensburg, PA
  • Registered: 2010-11-18
  • Posts: 1,963

Re: Head gasket material

Here is an online "help form" for Federal Mogul, who owns Fel-Pro:

http://www.federalmogul.com/en/ContactUs/NorthAmerica/

I would contact them.

I would think it would be awfully difficult to hand fabricate a metal head gasket.

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  • From: Central CT
  • Registered: 2010-12-29
  • Posts: 393

Re: Head gasket material

a head gasket is more than just a slab of gasket material.    There needs to be a metal ring around each combustion chamber, otherwise they wouldn't last at all.

You could take an old racers trick, and try this.    flat soft copper sheet.    People use it because it's thinner than a conventional gasket, and raises compression.

but it's fairly easy to work with, and provides the metal ring that you need around the cylinders.

It's not lemon-friendly on the budget side, since copper is expensive, but i suspect you won't have any trouble getting a Super Snipe through BS inspection.....;-)

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  • From: Van Nuys, CA
  • Registered: 2011-02-11
  • Posts: 3,862

Re: Head gasket material

Can't you use un-annealed copper of the correct thickness?  I'm just spit balling here.

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  • jrbe
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  • From: Central CT
  • Registered: 2009-06-23
  • Posts: 921

Re: Head gasket material

The only way you have a chance of cutting it yourself will be copper like mike said unless you have some crazy machines.  I think cutting it and keeping it usable will be really tough unless you laser or waterjet cut it.

For about what you'd spend on copper you can probably have cometic cut you one if you have an old gasket in any thickness you want http://www.cometic.com/custom.aspx and you wont have to worry about it unless you warp the head or block.  There were some cometic guys at summit point last year, they might cut you a break if you tell em its for Lemons.  Its worth a call to find out.

  I found a company that sells a copper head gasket for a super snipe for 85 pounds.  For the cost of that delivered from the uk cometic can probably make you one.

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  • Spank
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  • From: Escondido, CA
  • Registered: 2009-06-10
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Re: Head gasket material

do a google search for custom copper head gaskets and you'll come up with several companies who will make you one.

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  • From: Aumsville, Oregon (Near Salem)
  • Registered: 2010-08-22
  • Posts: 1,913

Re: Head gasket material

jrbe wrote:

The only way you have a chance of cutting it yourself will be copper like mike said unless you have some crazy machines.  I think cutting it and keeping it usable will be really tough unless you laser or waterjet cut it.

For about what you'd spend on copper you can probably have cometic cut you one if you have an old gasket in any thickness you want http://www.cometic.com/custom.aspx and you wont have to worry about it unless you warp the head or block.  There were some cometic guys at summit point last year, they might cut you a break if you tell em its for Lemons.  Its worth a call to find out.

We've got a laser cutter where I work, but our only experience is with aluminum and stainless steel.   Their opinion is that copper would be really difficult to laser cut.   I'll check out waterjet cutting, however.   I should also try using the CNC router at work.

Thanks for the link to Cometic Gasket, that is just the sort of help I needed.   I'll call and ask them for an estimate.

This what I love about the Lemons forums -- I may not get the exact answer I asked for, but I get plenty of other ideas.   Thanks, guys!

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  • jrbe
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  • From: Central CT
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Re: Head gasket material

I'd imagine waterjet, laser (if compatible) or router cutting copper would need the copper sandwiched between 2 decently stiff layers to keep it flat.  It could be a pita if the sandwich layers end up in the copper.  You might be able to punch it but that might thin it at the cuts and make it not seal so well.

Also, just a FYI, copper head gaskets are known to leak fluids a bit.  If the price is reasonable the cometic / MLS gasket is the way to go.

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  • From: VA
  • Registered: 2010-05-05
  • Posts: 920

Re: Head gasket material

Hylomar the old gasket and slap it back together.  Worked on the 2-stroke saab at PBIR....however, as always, your mileage may vary.

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  • From: WOOTville USA
  • Registered: 2009-05-06
  • Posts: 2,415

Re: Head gasket material

Back in the 70's I used an old cereal box smeared with peanut butter for an emergency head gasket on a 2-stroke motorcycle. I was stunned that it actually worked, and I eventually forgot about it.

Many years later I was surprised to find an old Cheerios box being used as the head gasket, and wondered who the idiot was that thought of that one.

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  • From: Mentor, OH
  • Registered: 2010-02-22
  • Posts: 207

Re: Head gasket material

CowDriver wrote:
jrbe wrote:

The only way you have a chance of cutting it yourself will be copper like mike said unless you have some crazy machines.  I think cutting it and keeping it usable will be really tough unless you laser or waterjet cut it.

For about what you'd spend on copper you can probably have cometic cut you one if you have an old gasket in any thickness you want http://www.cometic.com/custom.aspx and you wont have to worry about it unless you warp the head or block.  There were some cometic guys at summit point last year, they might cut you a break if you tell em its for Lemons.  Its worth a call to find out.

We've got a laser cutter where I work, but our only experience is with aluminum and stainless steel.   Their opinion is that copper would be really difficult to laser cut.   I'll check out waterjet cutting, however.   I should also try using the CNC router at work.

Thanks for the link to Cometic Gasket, that is just the sort of help I needed.   I'll call and ask them for an estimate.

This what I love about the Lemons forums -- I may not get the exact answer I asked for, but I get plenty of other ideas.   Thanks, guys!

When you call ask for Kevyn (me) and I will take care of you.  If you send me the used gasket I might be able to reproduce it for you.  Worse case I can make the solid copper no problem. 1-800-752-9850 extension 120.

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  • From: Hayward, CA
  • Registered: 2010-03-23
  • Posts: 1,762

Re: Head gasket material

You can make your own copper head gasket. I made two for our D16A1 Acura engine, which we tried to turbocharge. We had some limited success with those (fried the turbo bearings). The squeeze out Hylomar tends to gunk up the oil pick up, which may have led to our engine failures last August.

It is a lot of work, but you can do it with a drill press and a roto-zip. I can give further details if interested.

The trick is to re-anneal the copper when you have finished drilling and filing and re-flattening it. But I figured out a really easy way to do that. You just put the (clean) copper head gasket into your home oven and run the Cleaning Cycle. The oven cleaning cycle runs between 900-1000F which is high enough to anneal the copper, but not to melt it.


Depending on your block dimensions, I have  one piece of copper  sheet for sale. I think it 0.080" THK.

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  • From: Columbus, OH
  • Registered: 2009-05-26
  • Posts: 2,839

Re: Head gasket material

porkchops22 wrote:

When you call ask for Kevyn (me) and I will take care of you.

Now THAT is a great connection to have!  Thanks Kevyn, hope you're able to take care of him.

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  • From: Aumsville, Oregon (Near Salem)
  • Registered: 2010-08-22
  • Posts: 1,913

Re: Head gasket material

porkchops22 wrote:

When you call ask for Kevyn (me) and I will take care of you.  If you send me the used gasket I might be able to reproduce it for you.  Worse case I can make the solid copper no problem. 1-800-752-9850 extension 120.

Thank you very much, I appreciate it!   I'm hoping that I won't need to pull the head, but now I know where to go for a replacement gasket.   That should keep Murphy's Law at bay!  smile

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