• Mustang Forums
  • 1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk-
  • Fox 5.0 Mustang Tech

Engine HEAD GASKET HELP !!

  • Thread starter Thread starter LouDegro3628
  • Start date Start date Feb 17, 2020
L

LouDegro3628

New Member
Aug 8, 2019
6
0
1
Wantagh, NY 11793
Feb 17, 2020
#1
  • Feb 17, 2020
  • #1
hey so I found some coolant in my oil. (hope for the best prepare for the worst)...
upon tear down, everything was in order except for the head gaskets. the block is O RINGED 306 sbf, trick flow twisted wedge heads, wolverine cam, vortech v1 (5-8) psi.
i found that the head gaskets he used were not made for O RINGED blocks, hence the coolant in the oil and in between the deck and heads. upon further investigation...
I called ALL the gasket companies and they all said the same thing. take out the oring and run a MLS from either COMETIC or FELPRO. spray them down with copper spray before and youll be good to go. i found some old posts from about 10 years ago on this topic and they all seem to agree with this plan of action.
is this still the way to go??? I dnt want to tear down the block again if I don't have to. ( atleast not for the same issue). this will not be a track car, and in fact will probably see very light street use in the spring and fall. (no AC no heat) so if i go the recomended way, my question is

1. what bore size gasket should i get? (shes a 306)
2. what thickness should i get?
3. fel pro or cometic (even though both say not to use with oring reciever grooves around the bore)

ANY info on this topic would be greatly appreciated as i would like to start building her back up asap. thanks guys.
 

JD1964

there is enough sticking out to grab on to
15 Year Member
Jun 28, 2013
3,427
1,518
194
Maryland
Feb 18, 2020
#2
  • Feb 18, 2020
  • #2
I dont know about running MLS on an o-ringed block so I can’t confirm what others have told you on that.

I do have suggestion on thickness of MLS to order. I use Cometic with good results so obviously, that's what I recommend.

I also recommend to pull the block and deck it, even if only .001 Deck the heads too. Add the total of material removed from the block and heads. For instance. .005 from each side of the block, .010 from the heads. Total there is .015. Measure the thickness of the gaskets you just removed. Let's say .040 for example. .040 + .015 = .055. Order Cometic in .055 thickness. That makes you CC volume the same as it was before.

With a boosted application, you don't want to cut any corners in the head gasket area. Otherwise, you'll be doing head gaskets again before you know it.
 
Last edited: Feb 19, 2020
Reactions: Gs1987GT and General karthief
L

LouDegro3628

New Member
Aug 8, 2019
6
0
1
Wantagh, NY 11793
Feb 19, 2020
#3
  • Feb 19, 2020
  • #3
hey that sounds good. engine is out and on the stand. shes a 92 im swapping into my 86 notch. im trying to avoid the machine shop since the motor was rebuilt about 5 years ago and was barely run since the rebuild. maybe 20 miles. (luckily, or else there could have been serious damage with improper head gaskets). upon tear down everything is clean, like machine shop clean. pistons barely have any black on them same with the cc on the heads. the coolant on the deck and in the oil was the dead giveaway for the heads gasket being the wrong application. I know for a fact it came from a machine shop that did the rebuild, kinda messing with me that they used these gaskets. a mistake?? maybe... a last minute, "lets get this thing outta here"?? maybe.. so I really just want to clean this thing up and replace what I need to replace and continue on with this build. def not trying to cut corners just trying to avoid machine shop at all cost. $$$$$$ I know the spec for the fel pro 1011-1 is 4.1 bore .041 thickness. iv never really looked into sizes of heads gaskets before just used what was recommended for a 302.
is 4.100 bore gasket to large for a 4.030 306 or is that just a normal size to use?
should I be using a 4.030 bore gasket instead?
same with the thickness, is .041 a standard thickness for 4.100 bore?


also I didn't mention it, but all those threads from 10 years ago all pretty much all said the same thing. remove the o ring and use a COMETIC MLS. they all used that method and had no problems to report.

I really appreciate and all info, thanks so much.
 

JD1964

there is enough sticking out to grab on to
15 Year Member
Jun 28, 2013
3,427
1,518
194
Maryland
Feb 19, 2020
#4
  • Feb 19, 2020
  • #4
Clean the block deck and head surfaces til spotless. Check for warp with a machine grade straight edge and feeler gauge. Anything even close to being out of spec needs machining.
 

vristang

15 Year Member
Mar 31, 2005
4,933
101
124
Seattle
Feb 20, 2020
#5
  • Feb 20, 2020
  • #5
4.100" is pretty standard. Unless you are preparing for Engine Masters Challenge, that gasket will work just fine...

If it were me, I would clean it and put it together with the correct o-ring gasket. Not my area of expertise though.
 
L

LouDegro3628

New Member
Aug 8, 2019
6
0
1
Wantagh, NY 11793
Feb 28, 2020
#6
  • Feb 28, 2020
  • #6
THANK SO MUCH GUYS!. all this info is great. so I cleaned the block and heads up and checked for warpage and we are all good. im gonna pull the o-rings out and just run the MLS gasket. does any one have a recommendation for the thickness of the gasket.?? I know .040 or .041 is pretty much standard, but do I need it to be a little thicker so as to fill the receiver grooves around the bores??
 

HotFox

15 Year Member
Jan 5, 2009
1,047
647
164
SE Michigan
Feb 28, 2020
#7
  • Feb 28, 2020
  • #7
What is the protrusion on the o ring? I'm running a 331 with a solid stainless ring, if I remember correctly about .010". My setup is with a stock Felpro gaskets, it's been together 9 years. The protrusion just gives a extra bite into the fire ring. I bought the car done I presume the previous owner planned to spray it is why it was done.


Scott
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Fox Help
  • 93fox85
  • Mar 22, 2026
  • 1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk-
Replies
5
Views
181
1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk- Mar 23, 2026
Noobz347
X
Engine 5.0 Head Gaskets installed wrong block coolant passages???
  • Xam Sirrah
  • Jul 21, 2025
  • Fox 5.0 Mustang Tech
Replies
12
Views
586
Fox 5.0 Mustang Tech Dec 22, 2025
Qtrhrse23
Q
Oil choice for after break in period.
  • Sask84gt
  • Feb 28, 2026
  • 1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk-
  • 2
Replies
26
Views
849
1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk- Mar 14, 2026
Praetorious
P
6
Hey all,I’m putting together a 302 for my 1968 Mustang and wanted to post the combo + some questions to make sure I’m not missing crucial
  • 68_Disgustang
  • Feb 22, 2026
  • 1965 - 1973 Classic Mustangs -General/Talk-
Replies
3
Views
670
1965 - 1973 Classic Mustangs -General/Talk- Feb 28, 2026
Noobz347
Engine Head gasket port matching plus head/intake port alignment
  • PonyGTrider
  • Dec 10, 2024
  • Fox 5.0 Mustang Tech
Replies
6
Views
447
Fox 5.0 Mustang Tech Dec 12, 2024
PonyGTrider
Share:
Bluesky Email Share Link
  • Mustang Forums
  • 1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk-
  • Fox 5.0 Mustang Tech
Menu
Log in

Register

  • Forums
  • What's new
  • Media
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Sponsor
X

Privacy & Transparency

We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:

  • Personalized ads and content
  • Content measurement and audience insights

Do you accept cookies and these technologies?

X

Privacy & Transparency

We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:

  • Personalized ads and content
  • Content measurement and audience insights

Do you accept cookies and these technologies?