Hey guys. So yesterday I got as far as getting the head off and started to clean up the block and head. Is there anything I could use that is faster than scraping with razor blades? Or is there some kind of solution that I culd put on the bits of the old gasket to make it want to come off easier? I'm going to be using the z6 gasket now, and I'm goign to spray it down with copper spray.

Ok I know its bad to use the old head studs, but how bad is it? I heard of people doing it before, and no one in my area could get me a set of apr by today so I'm going to have to reuse my old ones. And the torque specs are 22 ft/lbs and then 49 ft/lbs, right? Thanks guys.

Any other tips or hints are welcome too.

 

permatex makes a gasket remover spray...it softens the gasket residue/material and makes it easy to come off...and nuff people reuse head bolts when DIY headgasket jobs are done and have no problems

 

what he said. ive reused headbolts on 2 cars, they both work fine. if you cant find gasket remover, carb cleaner spray and a pack of razors works alright.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CyniKal.Mindset &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">permatex makes a gasket remover spray...it softens the gasket residue/material and makes it easy to come off...and nuff people reuse head bolts when DIY headgasket jobs are done and have no problems</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

How clean does the surface of the head and the block have to be? Does it have to be squeaky clean or does it just have to feel smooth?

 

Get it as clean as possible. The cleaner the block and head is, the better the head gasket will seal. BTW aim for squeaky clean, this is just what I do. But I feel better about the job and knowing it sealed right! Also IF you are using a multi-layer metal head gasket, tourqe in thirds. Example 30 foot lbs, 1st tourqe 10lbs, 2nd 20 and 3rd 30lbs. Sorry not trying to insult you or what you know. It allows the gasket to seal more even.

 

I've seen a special pad for an orbital sander that is made specifically for removing headgasket material. Using a putty knife or razor blades is prone to nicking up the head/block surface. That's not a good thing.

 

FYI: The orbital sander is great! Just make sure you mask off everything on your engine. Also make sure to check you head and deck for how level they are.

 

i reused the headbolts on my d16a6 w/ a turbo; i blew the hg again in three days.
DO NOT reuse your bolts on any FI setup. ARP studs are only $90 and they're resusable! i love mine.


and cleaning the gasket off is just a pita. i used some carb cleaner spray; it helped some of the nastier stuff come off.

 

ya aim for squeky clean. you dont want to have to redo the headgasket twice. you can reuse the stock boldt but torque down in threee steps and torque down to 60lbs. ive never had a problem with reusing the bolts i just torque them down tighter.