Sealing a 1933 Terraplane Head Gasket

glynes
glynes Member
in "How To" - Skills, mechanical and other wise

I've got water coming up through a head bolt and out the side of the head near a water jacket. The gasket is new and I coated it several times with aluminum paint. Olson's mentioned that the gasket design doesn't have grommets around the water openings so they tend to leak into the asbestos. They suggested I shellac around those holes.

Thoughts?

Answers

  • Geoff
    Geoff Senior Contributor

    The silver paint will do the same job as shellac. It could be that the water is coming up through the stud threads. Also you need to check the area round the base of the studs, to ensure it is not distorted. I have seen extreme displacement of the block metal around the base of the studs when the nuts are done up too tight. You must never exceed 40 lbs torque on the head nuts. If the water is coming up the threads (if you have had the studs out), then a little Loctite thread seal will do the trick. If the block metal is distorted then you need to make a small chamfer in each stud hole in the head, using a 1/2" drill so that the head can seat properly on the gasket.

  • glynes
    glynes Member

    Thanks Geoff. So you are suggesting I don't tighten the head to the 55 LB spec? I've got several studs the guy before replaced so likely you are right on needing Loctite. On the paint, I think I should try to get a good amount down in the gasket holes for the studs and the water jackets and not just on the top and bottom of the surface of the gasket. Once I pull the head back off, I will see where all the water ran (I hope).

  • Geoff
    Geoff Senior Contributor

    Definitely not 55 lbs. These blocks are quite thin, and anything over 40 lbs will distort them.

  • Hans
    Hans Senior Contributor

    Please pay attention to Geoff's comment.

    " you need to make a small chamfer in each stud hole in the head, using a 1/2" drill so that the head can seat properly on the gasket."

    /////////////////

    This means to drill the gasket side of cyl head at each stud hole with the 1/2 inch counter bore bit. This will assist the compression of gasket where raised metal around stud in block can cause a leak.

    He has given the best advice.

  • drdoug
    drdoug Senior Contributor

    Warm the engine up, re-torque the cylinder head in 5lb. increments, starting at 40. Torque to 50-55. Once you have this completed, take a cap and seal off the overflow tube, add a full bottle of block sealer, run engine for 10-15 minutes. If you can find a pressure type cap that fits, use a cap that has a 4lb. relief. Doing this will usually seal the leaks and afterwards, make sure to remove the cap on the vent. This is about the only way to get them to seal. Remember, none of these parts are new anymore, most have pitting and/or some sort of deterioration around all the water ports in the block and the cyl. head. Hope this helps.

  • glynes
    glynes Member

    Thank you. After pulling the head, I found an area on the block where there is some corrison between the water jacket and the stud causing water to leak up through the stud. I'm using some JB Weld Extreme Heat to fill the area.

    The leak out the side of the engine through the gasket I believe may be solved by using a heavier volume of aluminum paint on the gasket around the water jacket area.

    If I understand you correctly, I need to warm up the engine with coolant in it and likely it will leak. But once I've gone through the torquing sequence and put the block seal in, it should seal. Is that correct?

    Also I used Evans coolant (expensive) and put block seal in it but my fuel pump gave out 2 minutes into the process. I've drained it the coolant with the block seal but I'm not sure if I should just reinstall it and add another 1/2 bottle of block seal?

  • tigermoth
    tigermoth Expert Adviser

    I agree with Geoff on the head torque. Do not “start at 40…” Geoff has more experience in one weekend with these old cars than most of us get in a decade.


    regards, Tom

  • glynes
    glynes Member

    I've solved the leaks. Had to use JB Weld extreme heat in a few spots on the block and the head where the metal was corroded. Also pulled all the studs which appeared to have been tefloned but the rebuild was done circa 1980 so who knows. Heavy silver paint, even used a paint brush around the grommets in the water jacket area. After installing the "wet" head gasket, torqued to 30, 35, 40, 45, 50. Heated up the engine for 1.5 minutes. Re-torqued again - same sequence. Put in block seal. Ran for 15 minutes. Retorqued from 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 to 55.

    Thanks for the help HETclub.

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