Copper gaskets are made by SCE. SCE doesnt recommend them to be used on a street car. There is a high probability they will leak. The substane to use on copper head gaskets is a product called Hylomar made by permatex. And the copper gaskets require O-rings that need to be cut into the heads or block to hold the gasket inplace.
After you do copper, then add lots of stop leak to the radiator, else one day there will be seepage into the crankcase or floor.
Andreas, I write to you like if your were my best friend, I respect what your doing. All I can offer is what I have learned from my mistakes.
Look three weeks ago I put on a new electronic boost controller, I raced the car at 23 PSI doing shakedown on new combination,. Made 9 runs at the track, had the motor running cleanly. On the way home my buddy with a 10 second Buick wants to play on the highway.. I mashed the pedal.. the second run I pull from him then poof... the HG lets go. I look at my recall on my boost guage.. 29 PSI. The wire leading to the boost solenoid during movement came free and burned on the exhuast behind the passenger cylinder head.
I have seen injectors fail, fuel pumps fail, wastegate fail, you name it. Sometimes you can walk away.. when your car is tuned for 22-23 PSI..and it goes to 29.. big problem. So i put new HG's and back to the track as usual.
My Camaro was a BBC 454 .030 with an ATI Race Blower. It made 13 PSI.. mild combo. Car ran on street tires 6.80 at 103 1/8 mile. It blew a HG once.. water in oil.. machine shop said.. deck block, o-ring, turn crank from antifreeze.. etc.. assembled motor using copper HG's.. fisrt week..leak out the back of the head.. Pull heads of, reseal, retourque, etc.. racing it, fuel pump dropped pressure.. leaned out.. blew a hole through the piston.. n then it went to .060 over since cylinder wall got damaged, new pistons, etc.. 2500 dollars latter.. tons of work done, tons of hours.. checking everything one night on the highway... boom...
After owning a Buick.. I like fuses. It only takes a few hours to change them.. and keeps the car running. This time the HG's didnt cost me a penny.. only time and oil.
All the machine work you are doing is text book for a race engine. The advice they are giving you is sound, I just realize I am not perfect.. and found a simpler way to keep my car running in case of any part failure.
With the Camaro and blower.. I knew nobody with a similar setup. With the Buick, I know so many.. I just follow those faster than me, and imitate them to the best of my ability while learning from theyre $$$$ costly mistakes.
I'll leave you with this, the fastest 109 Block car in the US.. Roy's car from LAZ racing doesnt run copper. And that car ran 9.4 at 145 through the exhuast at 23 PSI.
And if you want to talk about machine work.. look into lifter bushing one of these blocks.
Build the bottom to be bullet proof, put the steel caps, put the girdle, deck it, line bore, bore the cylinders, get better rods, get the best pistons.. blueprint the oiling system, nothing new. Triple check the clearances, balance the motor, etc.. Put a roller cam.. roller rockers.. build it.
Its your decision, all I want to do is offer my humble opinion.
Doesnt mean I'll be mad becuase you put copper gaskets, on the contrary. At least you will have had the chance to listen and weigh your options. After all a racing engine is full of options.
Peace,
Julio
After you do copper, then add lots of stop leak to the radiator, else one day there will be seepage into the crankcase or floor.
Andreas, I write to you like if your were my best friend, I respect what your doing. All I can offer is what I have learned from my mistakes.
Look three weeks ago I put on a new electronic boost controller, I raced the car at 23 PSI doing shakedown on new combination,. Made 9 runs at the track, had the motor running cleanly. On the way home my buddy with a 10 second Buick wants to play on the highway.. I mashed the pedal.. the second run I pull from him then poof... the HG lets go. I look at my recall on my boost guage.. 29 PSI. The wire leading to the boost solenoid during movement came free and burned on the exhuast behind the passenger cylinder head.
I have seen injectors fail, fuel pumps fail, wastegate fail, you name it. Sometimes you can walk away.. when your car is tuned for 22-23 PSI..and it goes to 29.. big problem. So i put new HG's and back to the track as usual.
My Camaro was a BBC 454 .030 with an ATI Race Blower. It made 13 PSI.. mild combo. Car ran on street tires 6.80 at 103 1/8 mile. It blew a HG once.. water in oil.. machine shop said.. deck block, o-ring, turn crank from antifreeze.. etc.. assembled motor using copper HG's.. fisrt week..leak out the back of the head.. Pull heads of, reseal, retourque, etc.. racing it, fuel pump dropped pressure.. leaned out.. blew a hole through the piston.. n then it went to .060 over since cylinder wall got damaged, new pistons, etc.. 2500 dollars latter.. tons of work done, tons of hours.. checking everything one night on the highway... boom...
After owning a Buick.. I like fuses. It only takes a few hours to change them.. and keeps the car running. This time the HG's didnt cost me a penny.. only time and oil.
All the machine work you are doing is text book for a race engine. The advice they are giving you is sound, I just realize I am not perfect.. and found a simpler way to keep my car running in case of any part failure.
With the Camaro and blower.. I knew nobody with a similar setup. With the Buick, I know so many.. I just follow those faster than me, and imitate them to the best of my ability while learning from theyre $$$$ costly mistakes.
I'll leave you with this, the fastest 109 Block car in the US.. Roy's car from LAZ racing doesnt run copper. And that car ran 9.4 at 145 through the exhuast at 23 PSI.
And if you want to talk about machine work.. look into lifter bushing one of these blocks.
Build the bottom to be bullet proof, put the steel caps, put the girdle, deck it, line bore, bore the cylinders, get better rods, get the best pistons.. blueprint the oiling system, nothing new. Triple check the clearances, balance the motor, etc.. Put a roller cam.. roller rockers.. build it.
Its your decision, all I want to do is offer my humble opinion.
Doesnt mean I'll be mad becuase you put copper gaskets, on the contrary. At least you will have had the chance to listen and weigh your options. After all a racing engine is full of options.
Peace,
Julio
