@@johnshackelford6965 Walmart’s oil ain’t bad, I use it in my 2001 Saturn with 319,+++ miles on it and it runs like a champ! It also leaks so I ain’t wasting $30+ on a gallon of oil just to run Castrol. Wife’s car doesn’t leak and I use Walmart oil in it. Walmart’s service though? Questionable at best. But at least I can’t recall letting them change my oil and then sending me away with low oil. A 15 minute oil change in Tampa though did exactly that. Refused to accept that the filter has a separate capacity than the oil pan, and I had to go find a quart of oil to top it off, in Florida in summer, on a trip. Sounds like not that big a deal but it was when I paid for 4.5 quarts of new oil.
Are you sure she said “go film yourself?” Back in the 80’s with aluminum heads and iron blocks we found on the Ford Escorts that the poor coolant was etching away at the heads and depositing the aluminum onto the water pump shaft causing the pump to lock up. The early Escorts were interference engines and the timing belt drove the water pump. Water pump locks up, engine goes bang. Aaaahh. The good old days
When your at the track and need to do the coat hanger wire trick but a coat hanger is nowhere to be found, the engine dipstick works in a heartbeat to hold the pushrods in place.
I'm glad you're getting better at filming. Not that I had any problems with your previous videos. That being said, we like Uncle Kathy. If she doesn't want to film, that's fine. But don't try to do everything yourself if she wants to participate. It's nice to have her camera skills and her commentary.
Your vider style matches your personality perfectly. No fancy intros, outtros, promos logos just a crapton of knowledge, technology, technique. A venerable cornucopia of information then bang , see ya tomorrow. They always look like they were done in one take.
There was an episode of the Andy Griffith show where Andy hired an English chap to do all Aunt B’s house work for her. It made Aunt B feel useless. She actually enjoyed the cooking and cleaning because it made her feel useful, appreciated and accomplished in her contribution to the family.
@@dylanbarnes9191 Malcolm Merriwether, yup. Haha nope you’ve got it all wrong. He pretended to be drunk in order to get out of his agreement with Andy after Opie told him that Aunt Bee wasn’t singing anymore.
Appreciate you doing this a third time to get the video out, was perfect. Although there's something endearing when there's a slight movement of the camera knowing your old lady is patiently stood there filming 😄
You rock man, mechanics like this ladies and gentlemen are a dying breed, keep learning how to fix and repair your own car and itll be much much easier in life.
Used to make gaskets out of leather and sometimes copper sheet. Back when I turned wrenches. Every once in awhile I'd get an odd ball industrial motor that was obsolete. That was farming though. Whatever it took to get it back up and running for harvest time. Always worked well though.
One of my favorite things to learn about is the engineering that goes into the internal combustion engine. Those were some clever people! From a performance perspective, all the little details add up and just like many engineering projects, the final product is greater than the sum of it's parts. A symphony of moving metal and fluids, gasses, flexing and strain... it's all calculated together! I just love it! Great stuff Tony!
Uncle Tony you have the skills! You are a professor! Love your videos! Every car guy on the U.S. says go on line and listen to what Uncle Tony has to say about it. I like the way you compare the Chevy small block to the Chrysler small block and so on. Please don't stop. Bring back Aunt Kathy!!!
@14:00 Nice you pointed that out, Tony. Been beating that advantage up to people who don’t comprehend, or don’t understand that design advantage for years. Fun fact: the first gen (49-64) Olds Rocket has 6 head bolts around each chamber- and I’ve never seen or had to replace a head gasket on one. This made a huge advantage for early blower motors in the hot rod scene of the 50’s and 60’s- with that kind of clamping power, the early Olds engine did very well with forged internals in forced combustion arrangements.
Don't worry Tony One of the reasons I appreciate your channel so much is because you are just you I'm not Tech Savvy either You just put out the information that you want to and don't worry about the Fine touches of production and I Appreciate it because it's honest and You are real mechanic Not a RUclips personality that films themselves being mechanical I've been a mechanic for 25 years and I learned from guys just like you there's not too many left and I appreciate What you're doing
Hate to tell you but Uncle Kathy filming does help the video quality. Also on the higher horsepower turbo diesels if you do not retorque a few times on a head gasket install you are pretty well guaranteed of failure.
Being in my 40's, I don't have all of this sage wisdom as UT and a lot older followers followers. I greatly appreciate the history and evolution lesson on head gaskets.
I recall way back in the dark days, we had a 1950s Morris that ate head gaskets. Dad made his own from brown paper and Hylomar. Never leaked again until we sold it.
Tony I appreciate the history lesson. I’ve only recently been messing with engines and it really helps to understand how we got to where we are. I’ve been looking at what type of head gasket is best for my application and this helps!
11:26 I remember hearing about certain late 90s Fords having issues with "false" check engine codes because of dirty coolant and the voltage it creates. Check engine light on? Could just be dirty coolant if it's an old Ford. Some more recalling , something about using ground straps on heater cores and other cooling system parts to try and calm down the electrolysis /voltage issue.
stray voltage will eat out a radiator or heater core in weeks ,Even when a new item is installed. earth out radiator , earth the engine earth the body.
I work on class 8 diesel trucks. They all have several grounds on the radiator and cooling system to TRY to prevent electrolisis . Red antifreeze is the worst I have seen in those engines.
when i first started working on cars my mentor was working on a car with a severely blown head gasket. the question out of him was do you think all head gaskets are sealed perfectly? i said likely not. he said good answer. he went on to say there is no such thing as a head gasket that is not blown, it is just to which degree that it is blown.
I did a lot of searching to find this information on the different types and how each is used. This was by far the best. Most just wanted to talk about the MLS type but I have an old tractor that is using an old style composite gasket. Thank you. I dont care about the slickness of the video it is the information that is hiven.
Great Video Tony. Your video's are what people would call 'authentic' - no hyper-produced script with sponsors and glitz, just the stuff people want to know from someone who has done it all before !
Thank you for explaining all of this. I recently rebuilt and did initial break in on my 72 Cutlass S (original 350 block and iron heads) and was confused by the information out there regarding whether to retorque the head bolts. My Chiltons manual told me to retorque, but my Chassis Assembly manual made no mention of it. Im using the newer style of composite gasket to be clear. Thank you, have a great day.
Thanks Tony! I have 3 or 4 used but perfect looking steel shim headgaskets for my Slant 6s, I've hesitated to use them but you can't get new ones so I keep using the thicker modern composite ones which they want actual money for and lower the CR after I go to all the trouble to try to get the CR up in the first place. I wish Cometic or somebody would hurry up and make some Slanty MLS gaskets
Sealing technology has evolved beautifully. I absolutely love the Felpro Permatorque MLS head gaskets. I've used them on every Honda SOHC engine I've done work on and they never went out of torque (even though the manuals tell you to double check torque) and I've never had a defect. I really like having the extra insurance of the MLS along with that blue compound they put on it. I've pulled heads off of junkyard cars that were abused as heck and that coating held them together. Whenever the time comes to reseal my '79 Chevy Van's 350 it will get a PT MLS gasket set as well.
I have never ever before, heard Lisa's Hots Cakes head gaskets referenced to, in any sort of way, in an engine build tutorial of any sort! Only you, LOL!!!
I just rebuilt a flathead willys. I ran and had a few heat cycles. Used a copper head gasket. I planed to re-torque at 100 miles. I had maybe 20 miles. I had bubbles in my coolant. I re-torqued and the gasket sealed. I now have hundreds of miles. Nice thing with a flat head, I dont have to remove anything to retorque.
I am also rebuilding a flathead willys and plan to use a copper head gasket. Maybe this is a dumb question, but did you use the copper spray on your copper gasket?
@@joshuamuckey4667 , Yes, I called the manufacturer and they said a thin coat both sides is recommended. It turned out my problem was with the head corrosion at one of the water ports became too close to the cylinder area. I had to get a new head.
My father owned a mechanic shop from the 70's up till around 2000. I was in my mid teens in the early 90s and I remember them having talks about what was taking out head gaskets. This was exactly what my pops was telling his guys:) good stuff man:) brought back good memories:)
When i was a young kid I asked a flat rate engine mechanic at the local dodge dealer what the torque spec was for sb mopar head bolts. He said he didn`t know. I laughed as I thought he was joking. He wasn`t. He said he just cranks them down with a impact. He said I never had a come back. I will never forget that.
I've built more 350 and 305 Chevy engines then I care to mention. Never touched a head bolt with a torque wrench and never had a problem. Some were stock, some had speed parts. Never had a head gasket blow out because of it. I tighten bolts until they feel right to me. It comes with experience I suppose. Tightening sequence is way more important than torque specs.
I know 2 people personally that don't torque head bolts. Just gun them down with an impact. Both at professional shops too.. but they have no comebacks on the engines. I wouldn't trust it and want to cover my ass so everything like that gets torqued down properly. No need to take a gamble like that.
@@Whats-It-To-Ya I'm like that with Quadrajet intake manifolds for 350 chevys. There's always a couple of bolts on them that you either cant get to with a torque wrench or don't quite feel tight enough. I tend to do my pattern and torque most of them down to spec with my click stop and then by feel kinda match up the torque on those couple bolts using a regular wrench and hand feel. Has worked out so far!
By the way, my first monster big block was a 383 with a cam out of the direct connection catalogue. It was called.a purple cam. There were others too. It was .695 lift, 340 degree and mushroom.tappets... Rev cam. It was psycho motor. I rallied off road in a 68 short bed power wagon. With factory 2" lift. No jeep or land cruiser could touch me. Of course no power.breaks, but.i could idle.up a 38 degree incline.with moguls. I took the doors off and a couple times walked along.my rig to read tje.lie of.land Got.married and stupidly broke up the classic to put the motor in a satellite to roadrunner conversion. 25 years later.it was.in a speed.boat with only add the wet pipes. That was a bad ass psychootor.
He is the coolest teacher ever . The one man show he can do it all HE DEALS IN ABSOLUTES TRANSPERRENT BRUTALLY HONEST HE DESERVES A AWARD OF SOME SORT. DAVID VIZARD AND TONY GOT ABSOLUTE KNOW HOW IF THEM 2 WERE TO COLIDE THIER MINDS IT WOULD BE absolutely only dealing in absolutes PERIOD.
Thanks for that info. I remember multiple times people telling me I needed to retorque my heads after they were run a while. I never did and never had a problem but always wondered why
Oh Uncle Tony & Ultra Kathy, Thank You So Much for this (and all of these solo) Video's! As a newer you tuber, I just did a video on taking apart a BBF and how I go about it. I was in the Groove Man! It was one of my BEST feeling shoots! I go to upload it to edit it........ I SHOT THE BACK OF MY HEAD AND MY BUTT! The mic wasn't plugged in so NO AUDIO!!!!! ZERO Nadda.... nothing! Can't re-shoot it, because I don't have another (never been opened up) engine! RRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 3 hours of completely un-usable footage that can't be repeated..... ug. This Video Stuff is harder than I thought it was and Ultra Kathy is beyond GREAT!
I rebuilt a vintage Coventry Climax engine some years ago and all of the gaskets were made of leather and assembled with a thin layer of grease, It still runs today and is fitted to a early Morgan 4.
Tony great video! I appreciate the extra effort to get it right for not only good picture quality/lighting/focus but also well thought out and accurate and thorough enough to give people an idea of when & how the OEMs changed the hd gasket material/design as they modernized from lower compression flat hd engines to higher comp OHV engines to aluminum hds & intakes. The only thing I think you might have wanted to mention (which would probably only be of interest to those few UTG folks who might be seeking really high cylinder pressures: like big boost turbos & superchargers or big nitrous shots and many of them are probably already aware of it) would be using copper head gaskets and grooving the block deck to receive sealing rings around each cylinder bore. I know for the majority of YT viewers working on their own engines out of their own garages it would be pricey to have a machine shop do it and they aren't likely to be shooting for the moon on their first couple of builds. 3 takes proves your dedication. I'm not expecting you to do a 4th video. Thanks Tony
Good video Uncle Tony! The only thing I would mention is that MLS gaskets need a smoother finish of around 10 to 15 Ra on the block and heads. The “blue” head gaskets can live with a rougher deck finish.
@@jts9120 If you look at the machined finish on the block and head mating surfaces under a microscope a cross section looks like a sawtooth profile. The MLS gaskets are less malleable than the other types meaning that they won't conform to the deeper machining marks on the rougher finishes like the softer gaskets do thus the need for a smoother finish.
Yep. Matter of fact we just had a 2020 ram come in for a cam and lifter job. The engine was replaced a year ago with a reman (because of a hole in oil filter.) Factory these are aluminum heads, iron block with MLS gaskets. Passenger side head had NO HEADGASKET. It ran 5k miles no issue till recently with a slight miss at cold idle and cam phaser codes. We thought they must have machined that block well for it to seal up that good with no gasket..
I freshened up the heads and replaced them on my 1985 318 and noticed the same thing on the block side. I didn't want to take a chance so I used the coating on it. I think that I may have used the copper coat or metallicSpray paint I'm not sure but I never had any problems And I had also installed a high volume Oil pump. When I do the next set I'm not sure but I'll cross that bridge when I come to itBut I rather be safe than sorry and have to redo the workBut I have no problem of popping the valve covers and retorquing for my own peace of mind... That's why waited to put the new header gaskets..
Yep. I had that exact same thing happen on my old '89 Volvo. The gasket leaked coolant slowly in between the 1st and 2nd cylinders into the 1st cylinder and etched the block. Because it was a turbo and thus low compression, it still ran pretty good and I didn't know I had a problem until it was too late. I would have had to had the block welded and then resurfaced to repair it which just wasn't worth it.
I'm assuming you're talking about a b230ft, in which case you could have bought a long block for like 400 dollars. I sold a 200k b230f with an m46 on it with the harness and accessories for 350, but it was an 85 with the thin rods. I boosted my NA 90' 240 and they hold stock boost fine and have a ton of torque with the extra compression
Wasn't worth it? How expensive it was? Its an backyard job that any shop with an lathe and an welding machine can do(you see guys in rural india doing it with even less things). Seems like such an small thing to comdemn an engine for.
@@kinsmart7294 costs about the same to just replace the motor, which can be done with pretty basic tools and a harbor freight engine hoist. Prices have doubled on a lot of redblock cars and parts the past 5 years, but it's still one of the most affordable RWD engines left, and they've got plenty more potential than people give them credit for. Rods and bearings alone are enough to get these cars into the 500hp range if you start with the right model year block, like post 93 squirter blocks. My car was so slow it hurt when I got it with around 15 second 0-60, but just with a manual, weight reduction, a 3.73 diff, and 5psi of boost, the car is about as fast as my old S60R, which was a 2.5 5 cyl on 15psi
@@StreetForged The situation is different depending on the country for better or for worse. In my country engine swaps are rare(its also an pain in the neck to legalize), so 99% of old cars have the original rebuilt engines, with bored out or sleeved cilinders.
Could you show your welding rod truck for the push rods in a future video maybe some other old school Mopar tricks? Love the videos, appreciate everything!
i recently finished the engine build for my 74 chevy. i wish i wulda took a pic of the headgaskets that went into it. i was thoroughly impressed with the material and design of em. time will tell after im driving it how well they hold up but i have good faith.
Was wondering about the whole retorquing thing when I put the B20 engine together for the 66 Volvo wagon you see in the little round picture. Every Volvo guy says you gotta retorque OR ELSE! It was my first and likely last vintage Volvo engine build so of course I did it. Kind of a pain in the ass, pull the rocker cover, then pull the rocker shaft to get at the bolts. Legend has it Volvo used a special socket to do this without pulling the rocker shaft, was pretty sure that's a load of crap, now I'm convinced.
Fantastic Uncle. I’d used the shim style gaskets to achieve the correct piston to deck height clearance. They came from the factory like this and endured 100’ of 1000’S of miles and being giving a belting. AND they kept going.
I still like Copper Coat no matter what. Something else about the fire ring gaskets, if you're using aluminum heads there are three distinct warm up temps, iron, aluminium and stainless. UT, you ain't bad on the filming side but UK is better. Please use her as you can. It's also nice to have another point of view as well. Please keep doing what you're doing 😆 One last thing. I've made leather gaskets myself. I'm reminded of the time my Holley 500 quit in Apache Junction, Az. at 2AM because the vacuum chamber gasket had shrunk after a year of sitting on my 58 Ford Tudor, 292. I used a 10 oz.ball peen and an exact exacto knife and was back on the road about 6 hours later!
Glad you got strikes on the first two, this one was a home run. Ultra Kathy does have an edge, in that she unfailingly points the camera exactly where we want to look.
Back in the early 1960s we learned about engines working on Chevy sixes. Took off the heads, cleaned the block and head and reused the same head gaskets. We couldn't afford new ones. Our torque wrench was a 3/4" box wrench with a three foot piece of pipe as a handle. None of us had a clue how it was supposed to be. We all were 13-15 years old. Backyard mechanics at best. But the engines always ran. The good old days.
uncle tony i too am a utube publisher, and i really wish i had help with my video's, such as a camera person, a grip person, doing the actual video alone can take up to 2 hrs, then i go home put away all my equipment then begin the editing process... which can take another 3 to 5hrs depending on how much jibber jabber and flippity flop i have to remove because i start to get off track such as" back in the old day's" stories start to add unnecessary footage that needs to be trimmed, so i try to talk only the bullet points to reduce editing and i come out with less stress on myself and still get the quality video that my viewers like so much keep up the good work sir i listen to alot of rebuild videos and your in the top 10.
Good vid Tony...We used shellac on the head gaskets in the 80's because the "coolant" was migrating through the composite gaskets and weeping out the side of the heads..I still do it regardless of what the gasket is made of...Never had an issue and so why change is what I say...Cheers from Downunder.
I was waiting for you to get to the importance of changing the coolant as recommended.. coolant (when it breaks down due to never being changed) actually turns into what's practically battery acid the eats at the metal in the gasket as you eluded to.. and as I'm sure you know.. you can even use a multimeter with the common (ground) lead on a good ground.. then place the positive lead in the radiator just until the probe touches the coolant (not anything else) and actually test for voltage.. depending on the reading you can guesstimate as to the breakdown of the coolant into acid.. furthermore... bad block grounds can cause the voltage/current to permeate the block and more readily and exacerbate the breakdown of the coolant into an acid... a lot of newer cars are far more sensitive to even the slightest voltage drop so one would likely notice other issues that could possibly lead them to properly diagnose such a condition.. but being on older Master Tech and Diagnostician and doing a lot of hot rodding and racing throughout my years i can say that older cars are a little for forgivable to slight grounding issues and that would speed up the decay of head gaskets.. I've seen it myself in my experience.. great video as always brother.. keep up the great work... 💪🇺🇸🇺🇸💪✌👍
Uncle Tony is a perfectionist with engines, Uncle Kathy is a perfectionist with video production! What a lovely combination for us viewers. 😁🤣
Tony is a very lucky man to have a women like Kathy by his side through thick and thin. They're truly a team.
Uncle Kathy, you're confusing me lol
Yes I think 🤔 my head gasket 1988 Nissan Pulsar NX OBD1 CHIP 🍟 😀 wide band 1.8L 120,000 failed.
RUclips.com/user/fiddlercove microcosmic comments off
Walmart oil 🛢 😬 🤗 changes
@@johnshackelford6965 Walmart’s oil ain’t bad, I use it in my 2001 Saturn with 319,+++ miles on it and it runs like a champ! It also leaks so I ain’t wasting $30+ on a gallon of oil just to run Castrol. Wife’s car doesn’t leak and I use Walmart oil in it. Walmart’s service though? Questionable at best. But at least I can’t recall letting them change my oil and then sending me away with low oil. A 15 minute oil change in Tampa though did exactly that. Refused to accept that the filter has a separate capacity than the oil pan, and I had to go find a quart of oil to top it off, in Florida in summer, on a trip. Sounds like not that big a deal but it was when I paid for 4.5 quarts of new oil.
Can’t wait for the day when we see the “directors cut” of Angry Uncle Tony… it can’t be THAT bad, can it Uncle Kathy???
Are you sure she said “go film yourself?” Back in the 80’s with aluminum heads and iron blocks we found on the Ford Escorts that the poor coolant was etching away at the heads and depositing the aluminum onto the water pump shaft causing the pump to lock up. The early Escorts were interference engines and the timing belt drove the water pump. Water pump locks up, engine goes bang. Aaaahh. The good old days
I remember those too
Whoa. Must have been terrible metallurgy.
I came here to say that 🤣
@@smncutler well you put two dissimilar metals near each other with acidic coolant and add electricity to it and you have electroplating
@@notmybleepingbike4812 carmakers have been doing it forever with great results. Ford just half-assed that one...
When your at the track and need to do the coat hanger wire trick but a coat hanger is nowhere to be found, the engine dipstick works in a heartbeat to hold the pushrods in place.
Uncle Tony you are a national treasure!🇺🇸
You know what Tony? 50+ years of torquing bolts and I still learn something from you fairly often. Thanks.
I'm glad you're getting better at filming. Not that I had any problems with your previous videos. That being said, we like Uncle Kathy. If she doesn't want to film, that's fine. But don't try to do everything yourself if she wants to participate. It's nice to have her camera skills and her commentary.
Uncle Tony, keep doing what you're doing!
I watch your videos because you get to the meat and potatoes of engines!
Your vider style matches your personality perfectly. No fancy intros, outtros, promos logos just a crapton of knowledge, technology, technique. A venerable cornucopia of information then bang , see ya tomorrow. They always look like they were done in one take.
The best way to shoot videos. Cram knowledge, trim the rest.
Nice, no nonsense delivery of what people need to know about gaskets. The 5 bolt trivia was a treat. Thx
Uncle Kathy is a treasure. Props for listening to her Tony! We love happy Uncle Tony.
There was an episode of the Andy Griffith show where Andy hired an English chap to do all Aunt B’s house work for her. It made Aunt B feel useless. She actually enjoyed the cooking and cleaning because it made her feel useful, appreciated and accomplished in her contribution to the family.
Merriweather or Malcolm was his name I think the guy who turned out to be a drunk lol
@@dylanbarnes9191 Malcolm Merriwether, yup. Haha nope you’ve got it all wrong. He pretended to be drunk in order to get out of his agreement with Andy after Opie told him that Aunt Bee wasn’t singing anymore.
I remember watching that episode😄
@@dylanbarnes9191Malcolm Merriwether only became a drunk in "The Mummy" which was years earlier.
@@brucegilbert7243 his character in the show lol
straight to the point and facts. Keep em coming Uncle Tony. I'll keep watching.
Appreciate you doing this a third time to get the video out, was perfect. Although there's something endearing when there's a slight movement of the camera knowing your old lady is patiently stood there filming 😄
We don't care if you get mad UT . We're going to listen anyway. Best teacher on YT. Thanks for sharing.
You rock man, mechanics like this ladies and gentlemen are a dying breed, keep learning how to fix and repair your own car and itll be much much easier in life.
Used to make gaskets out of leather and sometimes copper sheet. Back when I turned wrenches. Every once in awhile I'd get an odd ball industrial motor that was obsolete. That was farming though. Whatever it took to get it back up and running for harvest time. Always worked well though.
People definitely depend on us farmers for food and we have a short window of time to get it done. Any second of downtime is less production
Yes sir. Spent 10 years on a farm. Here in southern Arizona there is no "season" its always harvest season. Just different crops.
This makes me feel like im building an engine with my Grandpa again.
One of my favorite things to learn about is the engineering that goes into the internal combustion engine.
Those were some clever people!
From a performance perspective, all the little details add up and just like many engineering projects, the final product is greater than the sum of it's parts.
A symphony of moving metal and fluids, gasses, flexing and strain... it's all calculated together! I just love it!
Great stuff Tony!
Uncle Tony you have the skills! You are a professor! Love your videos! Every car guy on the U.S. says go on line and listen to what Uncle Tony has to say about it. I like the way you compare the Chevy small block to the Chrysler small block and so on. Please don't stop. Bring back Aunt Kathy!!!
@14:00
Nice you pointed that out, Tony. Been beating that advantage up to people who don’t comprehend, or don’t understand that design advantage for years.
Fun fact: the first gen (49-64) Olds Rocket has 6 head bolts around each chamber- and I’ve never seen or had to replace a head gasket on one.
This made a huge advantage for early blower motors in the hot rod scene of the 50’s and 60’s- with that kind of clamping power, the early Olds engine did very well with forged internals in forced combustion arrangements.
Those Hoyt-Clagwell tractors were known for blowing head gaskets. Damn that Haney!
And the left front wheel falling off. Or was it the right rear?
I really appreciate the time you spend on how to lay out the information so it is delivered in the best picture it can be imagined and observed. 👌🏻
Don't worry Tony One of the reasons I appreciate your channel so much is because you are just you I'm not Tech Savvy either You just put out the information that you want to and don't worry about the Fine touches of production and I Appreciate it because it's honest and You are real mechanic Not a RUclips personality that films themselves being mechanical I've been a mechanic for 25 years and I learned from guys just like you there's not too many left and I appreciate What you're doing
Hate to tell you but Uncle Kathy filming does help the video quality. Also on the higher horsepower turbo diesels if you do not retorque a few times on a head gasket install you are pretty well guaranteed of failure.
Being in my 40's, I don't have all of this sage wisdom as UT and a lot older followers followers. I greatly appreciate the history and evolution lesson on head gaskets.
I recall way back in the dark days, we had a 1950s Morris that ate head gaskets. Dad made his own from brown paper and Hylomar. Never leaked again until we sold it.
manufacters dont do gaskets to last forever they need to sell
used a gasket made from ship paper used to seal big pipes at hight pressures sold the car twenty years later, and no problem ,,,
its said it can susbstitute heda gaskets.. ..never tried it but anypaper gasket for pressure can do the job
Great info on a topic often overlooked!
Tony I appreciate the history lesson. I’ve only recently been messing with engines and it really helps to understand how we got to where we are. I’ve been looking at what type of head gasket is best for my application and this helps!
Your tutorials are some of the best for a carpenter/ shade tree like me thank you and keep them coming even if your angry
Man there is a wealth of knowledge on this channel. Glad I read across these videos.
When Uncle Kathy threw the camera at you, are you sure she said film? Keep them coming Uncle Tony.
11:26 I remember hearing about certain late 90s Fords having issues with "false" check engine codes because of dirty coolant and the voltage it creates.
Check engine light on? Could just be dirty coolant if it's an old Ford.
Some more recalling , something about using ground straps on heater cores and other cooling system parts to try and calm down the electrolysis /voltage issue.
stray voltage will eat out a radiator or heater core in weeks ,Even when a new item is installed. earth out radiator , earth the engine earth the body.
I work on class 8 diesel trucks. They all have several grounds on the radiator and cooling system to TRY to prevent electrolisis . Red antifreeze is the worst I have seen in those engines.
Tony you never disappoint. Great video. Thank you
I really enjoyed this informative video on the history of head gasket construction. Nice 👍 job Uncle Tony!
when i first started working on cars my mentor was working on a car with a severely blown head gasket. the question out of him was do you think all head gaskets are sealed perfectly? i said likely not. he said good answer. he went on to say there is no such thing as a head gasket that is not blown, it is just to which degree that it is blown.
I did a lot of searching to find this information on the different types and how each is used. This was by far the best. Most just wanted to talk about the MLS type but I have an old tractor that is using an old style composite gasket. Thank you. I dont care about the slickness of the video it is the information that is hiven.
Great Video Tony. Your video's are what people would call 'authentic' - no hyper-produced script with sponsors and glitz, just the stuff people want to know from someone who has done it all before !
Thanks for another awesome video. You are an excellent teacher! I appreciate all the content. I love the honesty and natural presentation.
Good job. This kind of information is why I subscribed. Carry on.
Thank you for explaining all of this. I recently rebuilt and did initial break in on my 72 Cutlass S (original 350 block and iron heads) and was confused by the information out there regarding whether to retorque the head bolts. My Chiltons manual told me to retorque, but my Chassis Assembly manual made no mention of it. Im using the newer style of composite gasket to be clear. Thank you, have a great day.
Thanks Tony! I have 3 or 4 used but perfect looking steel shim headgaskets for my Slant 6s, I've hesitated to use them but you can't get new ones so I keep using the thicker modern composite ones which they want actual money for and lower the CR after I go to all the trouble to try to get the CR up in the first place. I wish Cometic or somebody would hurry up and make some Slanty MLS gaskets
Wonderful video UT. Great story as well.
Great info on the head gaskets.
Head Gaskets Explained! So Awesome! Thank You
Sealing technology has evolved beautifully. I absolutely love the Felpro Permatorque MLS head gaskets. I've used them on every Honda SOHC engine I've done work on and they never went out of torque (even though the manuals tell you to double check torque) and I've never had a defect. I really like having the extra insurance of the MLS along with that blue compound they put on it. I've pulled heads off of junkyard cars that were abused as heck and that coating held them together. Whenever the time comes to reseal my '79 Chevy Van's 350 it will get a PT MLS gasket set as well.
1:34 The First Trick I learned, by myself, was to use the oil dipstick to hold the pushrods in place when dropping in the rocker arms and shaft.
Uncle tony angry we want to see the video already! Thank you for all the great content I learn a lot from it!
We do miss uncle Kathy
I've never had a problem with metal gaskets sprayed with copper paint
I have never ever before, heard Lisa's Hots Cakes head gaskets referenced to, in any sort of way, in an engine build tutorial of any sort! Only you, LOL!!!
Btw, it’s for a borrowed truck while they delivered apples to the wholesale market.
Very informative & another excellent lesson Uncle Tony.
Cheers & stay safe😊
I just rebuilt a flathead willys. I ran and had a few heat cycles. Used a copper head gasket. I planed to re-torque at 100 miles. I had maybe 20 miles. I had bubbles in my coolant. I re-torqued and the gasket sealed. I now have hundreds of miles. Nice thing with a flat head, I dont have to remove anything to retorque.
I am also rebuilding a flathead willys and plan to use a copper head gasket. Maybe this is a dumb question, but did you use the copper spray on your copper gasket?
@@joshuamuckey4667 , Yes, I called the manufacturer and they said a thin coat both sides is recommended. It turned out my problem was with the head corrosion at one of the water ports became too close to the cylinder area. I had to get a new head.
My father owned a mechanic shop from the 70's up till around 2000. I was in my mid teens in the early 90s and I remember them having talks about what was taking out head gaskets. This was exactly what my pops was telling his guys:) good stuff man:) brought back good memories:)
When i was a young kid I asked a flat rate engine mechanic at the local dodge dealer what the torque spec was for sb mopar head bolts. He said he didn`t know. I laughed as I thought he was joking. He wasn`t. He said he just cranks them down with a impact. He said I never had a come back. I will never forget that.
I've built more 350 and 305 Chevy engines then I care to mention. Never touched a head bolt with a torque wrench and never had a problem. Some were stock, some had speed parts. Never had a head gasket blow out because of it. I tighten bolts until they feel right to me. It comes with experience I suppose. Tightening sequence is way more important than torque specs.
I know 2 people personally that don't torque head bolts. Just gun them down with an impact. Both at professional shops too.. but they have no comebacks on the engines. I wouldn't trust it and want to cover my ass so everything like that gets torqued down properly. No need to take a gamble like that.
@@Whats-It-To-Ya I'm like that with Quadrajet intake manifolds for 350 chevys. There's always a couple of bolts on them that you either cant get to with a torque wrench or don't quite feel tight enough. I tend to do my pattern and torque most of them down to spec with my click stop and then by feel kinda match up the torque on those couple bolts using a regular wrench and hand feel. Has worked out so far!
By the way, my first monster big block was a 383 with a cam out of the direct connection catalogue. It was called.a purple cam. There were others too. It was .695 lift, 340 degree and mushroom.tappets... Rev cam. It was psycho motor. I rallied off road in a 68 short bed power wagon. With factory 2" lift. No jeep or land cruiser could touch me. Of course no power.breaks, but.i could idle.up a 38 degree incline.with moguls. I took the doors off and a couple times walked along.my rig to read tje.lie of.land
Got.married and stupidly broke up the classic to put the motor in a satellite to roadrunner conversion. 25 years later.it was.in a speed.boat with only add the wet pipes. That was a bad ass psychootor.
What just a great great orator !!
He is the coolest teacher ever . The one man show he can do it all HE DEALS IN ABSOLUTES TRANSPERRENT BRUTALLY HONEST HE DESERVES A AWARD OF SOME SORT. DAVID VIZARD AND TONY GOT ABSOLUTE KNOW HOW IF THEM 2 WERE TO COLIDE THIER MINDS IT WOULD BE absolutely only dealing in absolutes PERIOD.
Great job UT uncle Kathy will luv it👍
Great info, much appreciated
Thanks for that info. I remember multiple times people telling me I needed to retorque my heads after they were run a while. I never did and never had a problem but always wondered why
Free Uncle Kathy! Uncle Tony suppressing the muse!
If you watch "the straight eight challenge" series over on cold war motors, they reused a damaged head gasket from a Buick straight eight.
Oh Uncle Tony & Ultra Kathy, Thank You So Much for this (and all of these solo) Video's! As a newer you tuber, I just did a video on taking apart a BBF and how I go about it. I was in the Groove Man! It was one of my BEST feeling shoots! I go to upload it to edit it........ I SHOT THE BACK OF MY HEAD AND MY BUTT! The mic wasn't plugged in so NO AUDIO!!!!! ZERO Nadda.... nothing! Can't re-shoot it, because I don't have another (never been opened up) engine! RRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 3 hours of completely un-usable footage that can't be repeated..... ug.
This Video Stuff is harder than I thought it was and Ultra Kathy is beyond GREAT!
Angry Tony would be good to see occasionally, haven't seen you throw anything in a while!
Thank you
One of your best videos to date, good info, I've had the same experiences myself.
yeah i agree the 5 bolts around each cylinder is way better i never pushed head gaskets till i got my first SBF
I rebuilt a vintage Coventry Climax engine some years ago and all of the gaskets were made of leather and assembled with a thin layer of grease, It still runs today and is fitted to a early Morgan 4.
i tried pig leather for the thermistat hsg...would last about a year..looked really cool
Coventry Climax were used in early 60s F1 cars with dual Weber DCO/SP carburetors--then mechanical slide throttle injection soon after.
Thanks UTG!
Thanks Tony, really taught me a lot. I love this stuff.
Tony great video! I appreciate the extra effort to get it right for not only good picture quality/lighting/focus but also well thought out and accurate and thorough enough to give people an idea of when & how the OEMs changed the hd gasket material/design as they modernized from lower compression flat hd engines to higher comp OHV engines to aluminum hds & intakes. The only thing I think you might have wanted to mention (which would probably only be of interest to those few UTG folks who might be seeking really high cylinder pressures: like big boost turbos & superchargers or big nitrous shots and many of them are probably already aware of it) would be using copper head gaskets and grooving the block deck to receive sealing rings around each cylinder bore. I know for the majority of YT viewers working on their own engines out of their own garages it would be pricey to have a machine shop do it and they aren't likely to be shooting for the moon on their first couple of builds. 3 takes proves your dedication. I'm not expecting you to do a 4th video. Thanks Tony
Good video Uncle Tony! The only thing I would mention is that MLS gaskets need a smoother finish of around 10 to 15 Ra on the block and heads. The “blue” head gaskets can live with a rougher deck finish.
Why?
@@jts9120 If you look at the machined finish on the block and head mating surfaces under a microscope a cross section looks like a sawtooth profile. The MLS gaskets are less malleable than the other types meaning that they won't conform to the deeper machining marks on the rougher finishes like the softer gaskets do thus the need for a smoother finish.
@@brianbrigg57 Thanks
Yep. Matter of fact we just had a 2020 ram come in for a cam and lifter job. The engine was replaced a year ago with a reman (because of a hole in oil filter.) Factory these are aluminum heads, iron block with MLS gaskets. Passenger side head had NO HEADGASKET. It ran 5k miles no issue till recently with a slight miss at cold idle and cam phaser codes. We thought they must have machined that block well for it to seal up that good with no gasket..
I freshened up the heads and replaced them on my 1985 318 and noticed the same thing on the block side. I didn't want to take a chance so I used the coating on it. I think that I may have used the copper coat or metallicSpray paint I'm not sure but I never had any problems And I had also installed a high volume Oil pump.
When I do the next set I'm not sure but I'll cross that bridge when I come to itBut I rather be safe than sorry and have to redo the workBut I have no problem of popping the valve covers and retorquing for my own peace of mind... That's why waited to put the new header gaskets..
Yep. I had that exact same thing happen on my old '89 Volvo. The gasket leaked coolant slowly in between the 1st and 2nd cylinders into the 1st cylinder and etched the block. Because it was a turbo and thus low compression, it still ran pretty good and I didn't know I had a problem until it was too late. I would have had to had the block welded and then resurfaced to repair it which just wasn't worth it.
I'm assuming you're talking about a b230ft, in which case you could have bought a long block for like 400 dollars. I sold a 200k b230f with an m46 on it with the harness and accessories for 350, but it was an 85 with the thin rods. I boosted my NA 90' 240 and they hold stock boost fine and have a ton of torque with the extra compression
Wasn't worth it? How expensive it was? Its an backyard job that any shop with an lathe and an welding machine can do(you see guys in rural india doing it with even less things). Seems like such an small thing to comdemn an engine for.
@@kinsmart7294 costs about the same to just replace the motor, which can be done with pretty basic tools and a harbor freight engine hoist. Prices have doubled on a lot of redblock cars and parts the past 5 years, but it's still one of the most affordable RWD engines left, and they've got plenty more potential than people give them credit for.
Rods and bearings alone are enough to get these cars into the 500hp range if you start with the right model year block, like post 93 squirter blocks. My car was so slow it hurt when I got it with around 15 second 0-60, but just with a manual, weight reduction, a 3.73 diff, and 5psi of boost, the car is about as fast as my old S60R, which was a 2.5 5 cyl on 15psi
@@StreetForged The situation is different depending on the country for better or for worse. In my country engine swaps are rare(its also an pain in the neck to legalize), so 99% of old cars have the original rebuilt engines, with bored out or sleeved cilinders.
@@kinsmart7294 I could move the #1 piston back and forth with my fingertip.
Thanks UT great video
I figured at some point it’d come out lol. Uncle Cathy please come back ! We miss you ! Cool video T !
Could you show your welding rod truck for the push rods in a future video maybe some other old school Mopar tricks?
Love the videos, appreciate everything!
i recently finished the engine build for my 74 chevy. i wish i wulda took a pic of the headgaskets that went into it. i was thoroughly impressed with the material and design of em. time will tell after im driving it how well they hold up but i have good faith.
I'm in the middle of a 74 Nova 350. If you don't mind, what gaskets did you use?
Was wondering about the whole retorquing thing when I put the B20 engine together for the 66 Volvo wagon you see in the little round picture. Every Volvo guy says you gotta retorque OR ELSE! It was my first and likely last vintage Volvo engine build so of course I did it. Kind of a pain in the ass, pull the rocker cover, then pull the rocker shaft to get at the bolts. Legend has it Volvo used a special socket to do this without pulling the rocker shaft, was pretty sure that's a load of crap, now I'm convinced.
Same issue with my '52 Case SC tractor. PIA.
Fantastic Uncle. I’d used the shim style gaskets to achieve the correct piston to deck height clearance. They came from the factory like this and endured 100’ of 1000’S of miles and being giving a belting. AND they kept going.
Thank again for what you do. It’s appropriate!
"Go film yourself" has just entered my vocabulary; because I'm as sure that's what she said; just like that reporter heard "let's go brandon"
Thanks @UncleTony'sGarage! What about choosing head gasket thickness to affect compression?
I still like Copper Coat no matter what. Something else about the fire ring gaskets, if you're using aluminum heads there are three distinct warm up temps, iron, aluminium and stainless.
UT, you ain't bad on the filming side but UK is better. Please use her as you can. It's also nice to have another point of view as well.
Please keep doing what you're doing 😆
One last thing. I've made leather gaskets myself. I'm reminded of the time my Holley 500 quit in Apache Junction, Az. at 2AM because the vacuum chamber gasket had shrunk after a year of sitting on my 58 Ford Tudor, 292. I used a 10 oz.ball peen and an exact exacto knife and was back on the road about 6 hours later!
Great video. Was waiting for you to mention O ringing an engine
Glad you got strikes on the first two, this one was a home run. Ultra Kathy does have an edge, in that she unfailingly points the camera exactly where we want to look.
Back in the early 1960s we learned about engines working on Chevy sixes. Took off the heads, cleaned the block and head and reused the same head gaskets. We couldn't afford new ones. Our torque wrench was a 3/4" box wrench with a three foot piece of pipe as a handle. None of us had a clue how it was supposed to be. We all were 13-15 years old. Backyard mechanics at best. But the engines always ran. The good old days.
uncle tony i too am a utube publisher, and i really wish i had help with my video's, such as a camera person, a grip person, doing the actual video alone can take up to 2 hrs, then i go home put away all my equipment then begin the editing process... which can take another 3 to 5hrs depending on how much jibber jabber and flippity flop i have to remove because i start to get off track such as" back in the old day's" stories start to add unnecessary footage that needs to be trimmed, so i try to talk only the bullet points to reduce editing and i come out with less stress on myself and still get the quality video that my viewers like so much keep up the good work sir i listen to alot of rebuild videos and your in the top 10.
Nice job Tony! Get er done! 💥🇺🇸💥🇺🇸💥🇺🇸
Spring tension of the bolts Uncle Tone. The factory torque setting stretches the bolts already.
I VOTE TO BRING BACK KATHY!!!
Good vid Tony...We used shellac on the head gaskets in the 80's because the "coolant" was migrating through the composite gaskets and weeping out the side of the heads..I still do it regardless of what the gasket is made of...Never had an issue and so why change is what I say...Cheers from Downunder.
Great video. But. What did you use on the 383?????
Great info on the gaskets and video quality is outstanding next comes audio yup you guessed it way to low. But again everything else was good.
I was waiting for you to get to the importance of changing the coolant as recommended.. coolant (when it breaks down due to never being changed) actually turns into what's practically battery acid the eats at the metal in the gasket as you eluded to.. and as I'm sure you know.. you can even use a multimeter with the common (ground) lead on a good ground.. then place the positive lead in the radiator just until the probe touches the coolant (not anything else) and actually test for voltage.. depending on the reading you can guesstimate as to the breakdown of the coolant into acid.. furthermore... bad block grounds can cause the voltage/current to permeate the block and more readily and exacerbate the breakdown of the coolant into an acid... a lot of newer cars are far more sensitive to even the slightest voltage drop so one would likely notice other issues that could possibly lead them to properly diagnose such a condition.. but being on older Master Tech and Diagnostician and doing a lot of hot rodding and racing throughout my years i can say that older cars are a little for forgivable to slight grounding issues and that would speed up the decay of head gaskets.. I've seen it myself in my experience.. great video as always brother.. keep up the great work...
💪🇺🇸🇺🇸💪✌👍
Yep co worker had that issue on a mid 2000s ram. Replaced the water pump and radiator twice before he found out it was electrolysis killing them.
Great information once you got beyond nearly 5 minutes of what is not what we wanted to endure. Spare us to keep us!
I never retorqued the heads on my flathead, those replacement gaskets were post-asbestos, though.
Soooo, no head install vid. Did you use head bolts or studs and nuts? Great info on gaskets.
Great video
Nice video toni .