i am putting my motor back together right now after i blew a head gasket on the dyno. On the head gaskets there is one side that is smooth and another side that has what i would describe as a skeleton structure around the water jackets and the bores. the question i have is does it matter wheter the smooth side is up or down?? th gaskets are clearly labeled which side is the "front" but on the passenger side when i put the gasket on with the front in the right direction the smooth side is on the block not the heads.
i dont really think this would affect anything but i want to make sure because i definitly dont want to have to rip the whole motor apart and do this all over again.
doesn't matter what side is gonna be UP as long as you MAKE SURE that "FRONT" is in the front, like towards the water pump. one side will probaly be upside down, just as long as the "front" is at the front.