VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 Head Gasket Reuse

After picking my jaw up off the floor looking at the prices of head gaskets, I have a question...

If my old head gasket has no cracks or is not damaged, can I reuse it on my '31 engine?


Thanks,
Brandon

I wouldn't...especially since new old stock, new old replacement stock, and reproduction head gaskets are available. Personally, I would go with either a new old stock or a new old replacement stock head gasket and not the reproduction.

We never recommend that you reuse a head gasket. When the head is bolted on, the gasket is compressed between the head and the block. If you take the head off, you need a new gasket. Why run the risk of damaging your engine.

Melissa
Earl's Machine Shop
Seattle, Wa.

As the former head of GASKET KING COMPANY LIMITED from 1975---1990 specializing in NOS cylinder head gaskets 1909 to 1948, the answer to your question is NO NO NO NO.

Better yet, use the old one and see what happens.

mike lynch

No I would not reuse it, but about 30 years ago I was given a 64 Chevy with the 250 6 that ran bad. It had a bad distributor cap and a hole burnt in a piston. The plan for this car was to run it in a demolition derby. I found a used piston and rod to throw in it, dropped the pan enough to change, did not bother to put hard to get pan bolts back in, reused the head gasket, used the impact wrench on the head bolts, just though I would see if I could get by doing a sloppy job. I think I finished about 8th place, and the engine still ran despite the abues of planting the gas pedal to the floor and just jaming the gears forward and reverse.
A while later a guy stopped by the shop looking for a 6 to put in his 68 Chevy pickup, I told him I had one that should be rebuilt, sold it to him for $50.00. Sometime later another guy had bought the truck and wanted a price to put a pan gasket in it. I though ok they just stuck the motor in without doing anything to it so I told him it might help to put all the pan bolts in. Just proves you might get by doing a half a## job.

YES.....by all means re use it and use an air powered impact gun to cinch the bolts back down, forget about torquing them with a torgue wrench to the correct specs.

Balls to the wall go for it
mike

When I worked at the Chevy dealer in the early 70's and they had the 50,000 mile warranty I saw more the one V8 get rings at 49,000 miles and the job was done in one day, did not pay enough to be to picky, the 1/2 inch impact was the torque wrench. Do not Romberg seeing Russ have any come backs.
I am not saying you should reuse the head gasket, I have seen it done.

Ok, thanks for the responses everyone. Looks like I'll be having to buy a $100 dollar gasket to get my head back on. Just when I think I'm getting somewhere... hahaha.

I suppose the Filling Station is the preferred place to get a replacement NOS reproduction?

Brandon

Reminded me of my younger and poorer days...I used the inheritance I received from my grandmother to rebuild the lower-end of the 235 in my '53 Chevy truck...The money was gone buy the time it came to the head gasket...So, I carefully re-torqued the head to what I estimated was a few pounds over what it had been before I had removed it...Drove that truck for twenty years w/out a problem...This is not a recommendation...Just a tale of luck...

Chevrolet Repair Manual, AA-AB, dtd 1 Feb 28. Page 13, Installing Cylinder Head, 1st line: The old cylinder head gasket may be used again, (remainder of the line gives the conditions for inspecting the head gasket).

Also recommended reading on this subject is in the "School is in Session" found in the TECH TALK Thread.

I have reused the copper headgaskets two and three times and no problems following the specified conditions.

Keep in mind this information is in reference to the 4-cylinder engine. Some of the 6-cylinder experts can check the 6-cylinder Repair Manual for the 6-cylinder guidance.

In installing any headgasket never use any type of sealer, altho a lite coating with axle grease is recommended.

Absolutely! The Filling Station is the place to go for all of your needs.

As a side note however, a few of the new reproduction copper clad head gaskets seem to be failing after 4,000 to 5,000 miles.

On reusing an old original head gasket, it can be done, but again, keep in mind that the old head gaskets of years ago were made out of a lot better material than the reproduction head gaskets are manufactured from today. I would suggest not reusing a reproduction head gasket the second time around.

I did it years ago and got by with it. I probably would not do it today but things are different than when I was a kid with no money. Sometimes NOS gaskets come up on Ebay for a lot less than $100.

WHAT .....$100 for a 1929 to 1932 chevrolet head gasket NOS copper and asbestos...........thats so funny as to be unreal.

When I operated the gasket king from 1975---1990 i bet i did not sell 50 of them in ****all**** those years. The various 1933 thru 1936 head gaskets were just as bad if not worse. I think i was offering them on hemmings motor news 3 for $10 and still not getting any takers. Olsons gaskets in port orchard washington got all my stock in 1990.

mike

There are 2 ways to complete your job.
1. Cheap, and re-use your old gasket and maybe several dollars of repairs down the road caused by being cheap.
2. The right way is to replace the head gasket and head bolts after you check the head for warpage and maybe have it planed at a machine shop.
Either way pay now or pay later.

Try Marx Parts in WI. I purchased many NOS parts from him and he has what you need at a reasonable price. I see him at various swap meets and he has many types of head gaskets to choose from.