Header Gasket and bolts

Guero

Active Member
Oct 11, 2005
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Whats the best gasket i can get for my car? That wont burn. I just replaced tem and they burnt already, but kinda my fault. A couple bolts cam loose. Do they sell any locking bolts or anuthing i can buy that wont unscrew?????
 
Guero said:
Whats the best gasket i can get for my car? That wont burn. I just replaced tem and they burnt already, but kinda my fault. A couple bolts cam loose. Do they sell any locking bolts or anuthing i can buy that wont unscrew?????
Stage 8 makes a special locking set. Or you can just use lock washers on the bolts, many swear by them.
 
Make sure to get 1" long bolts, not 3/4" as they are not long enough, especially if you have aftermarket headers with a thick flange. And I use Mr.Gasket Copper Gaskets with NO PROBLEMS. They don't burn out and can be reused many times before needing to be replaced
 
Here is a simple trick to help with bolt length :D

Stick a small screwdriver in the bolt hole and mark it.

Add the thickness of the part to be bolted down
plus
any other device ... like in this case ... maybe a lock washer :shrug:

You want a bolt not quite as long as all the measurements :)

Grady
 
Breslin makes locking header bolts too. And I think they may be easier than stage 8 locking bolts. I have a set of 1" Breslin bolts.

I'd say you should definitely go with the 1" bolts (and measurng - as mentioned above - is a good idea to make sure you dont bottem out). Then torque em down to 15-20 pounds, lock em in, and you will never have another burnt gasket.
 
I've used the Stage 8 lock bolts with standard fiber gakets in the past, but they were a real pain to install then retighten after the gaskets compress/dry out. On my last 2 rebuilds, I switched to ARP polished stainless bolts and a set of Earl's gaskets. You simply tighten the bolts until you are actually compressing the aluminum plate. The ARP bolts have a smaller head that makes retightening the bolts (rare occurence) easier. This combo has worked very well for me!! :nice:

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=EAR%2D29D03AERL&N=700+400041+4294886211+4294908248+4294908331+115&autoview=sku

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=ARP%2D400%2D1102&N=700+400295+4294908331+4294840126+4294889096+4294888324+115&autoview=sku

:lol: