TonyG

I've run the Cometic with an O ring, with an O ring groove cut (no actual O ring), and with a non O ringed head.

No problems either way. And I never noticed a difference with leakage. I will say that any Cometic install is far more reliable than the stock (including the wide fire... which is essentially stock) head gaskets.

TonyG


TonyG

INURGRL951

I hear you David I do some werid things too that just happen to work for me. but when I did my cometic HG I chose not to O ring either the block or the head. The orginial poster on the thread just has to think what his goals are with the car you can run a lil more boost with the cometic but run the risk of a weeping gasket or damaging your motor BADLY (with a incorrect tune) and the WFG is a lil more forgiving in that manor....but me I ended up with the cometic because I was shooting for LOTS of boost of course with a really good tune. So if you car is not overly moded just go with the WFG if you have big plans go with the Cometic

costas

gcb951

You guys are confusion me. I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't.

George D

Not at all. The cometic is stainless steel, not just material with a wire frame. What they are saying is that a properly installed cometic gasket will no longer be a very good safeguard when too much pressure wants to escape from your combustion chamber from too much boost, detonation, and hence improper tuning at higher boost levels. The factory type gaskets provide some level of safety when running too much boost/bad tune/ etc. The cometic will hold much more pressure, which then may break some thing internal like burning a piston or breaking a factory type rod.

The cometic is the gasket to use as long as your tuning is done properly and you are monitoring it when using greater than one bar of boost with appropriate chips, fpr, etc. That's it. I wouldn't use any other gasket but the cometic.

You are only in trouble if you don't provide proper A/F ratios at boost.

gcb951

Well as far as boost goes, I think 18psi will be about as much as I will be pushing. There has been a good deal of work on the motor. Pistons tops and skirts have been coated by Swain. Connection rods are aftermarket forged chromemoly. Crank has been balanced and crossdrilled with a crank scraper. 274 grind cam. The head's intake was matched ported and has stiffer springs. Turbonetics TO4B 60mm trim with BB(#6 hotside machined out for stage 3 wheel). 3 inch turbo back exhaust with dual port wg. I'm planning on going with Vitesse stage 2 set up minus his turbo because I already have this one. I will most likely go with the Zetronics wideband O2 sensor with an A/R meter.

I don't want to F$%* this up by using the wrong HG because I have an O-ringed head. This is 5 years in the making and I've lost track of how much $$$ I have spent.

Seems like even though I have an O-ringed head, most of the listers here still think Cometic is better. My only issue is that Cometic's disclaimer specifically warns against using there HG with either the head or block O-ringed.

This is my dilemma.

George D

If you have both, and have some fear about potential issues, use the Wide Fire gasket. It will last years at 18psi and a good tune.

We had a mirror finsh on my head and block and still had some leaking issues with the cometic. One jar of stop leak stopped it completely. It was only leaking externally. It may have stopped with some use, but I didn't want to take any chances. My engine builder, Garrity uses it along with many other folks using the cometic.

A head gasket job isn't that big a deal. Use your factory gasket and enjoy your car. If cometic states you shouldn't use their product with an 0-ringed head, it would make sense to odhere to their policy.

I've used widefire gaskets, along with about 95% of the folks on this list with great results.

Goodluck.

gcb951

Thanks, that does give me some peace of mind.

INURGRL951

Yes that is true you should not use a cometic with a O-ring head. If i remeber correctly you can use it with the o-ringed block dont hold me to it but, there are few that venture out on the wildside of things but 18psi go with the WFG and have a blast. A good tune and the WFG you be even safe at 21psi but after about 19psi you then run into problems with low grade fuels ( non-race gas).


costas

gcb951

I'm gonna go with the WF HG. I just hope I put the motor together right. Just like legos, but my castles never looked like the ones on the box.

Cory9584

has anyone tried a copper head gasket?

TonyG

I'd pick out the O rings and use the Cometic and put the sealer around the water neck hole and be done with it.

TonyG

Van

Yes. I love my copper head gasket. My o-rings are in the head and protrude 0.002" from the surface.