Mercruiser Shim Head Gasket OK for Budget Street Use?

Hey guys, just a quick question I haven't seen addressed before...

I found a steel shim headgasket for the Mercruiser 224 (3.7L) CID Engine Model 470.
http://www.mallory-marine.com/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=5022

Thank you for your interest in Mallory Marine Products. This gasket is a stainless steel shim type, non re-torque design.It installs with the same specs as an O/E gasket( bore,ct, torque, etc.)

But I also got a reply from Mallory Marine that they didn't have the measured thickness of this gasket. I am assuming it is less than the 0.041 compressed thickness of the Felpro gasket I am using now.

I was curious what people thought about street driver reliability?
I know small block chevy's came with them from the factory, but the Merc model 470 has a history of leaking head gaskets. (but that may be from the overheating issues, not the gasket itself?)

I would like to reduce my deck height without pulling and disassembling the short block. I did not deck the block to zero when I rebuilt the stock bore 460 in our car. I would like to go to ported D3VE's next spring and thought if I could use these gaskets at the same time, it might not be a bad idea. They are pretty cheap.
http://www.iboats.com/Mallory-Gasket-Cylinder-Head-9-63711/dm/view_id.363554

Anyone have any thoughts? This is a definite Band-Aid approach, I understand I should have done it right. If its a bad idea please speak up!
I would imagine without a freshly decked block and heads......there could be trouble.
I have read cheap small block chevy articles where they used some copper spray and threw them in a junk yard motor and it worked......but you can't believe everything you read, or they were just lucky.
R&Ring BB ford heads is not something I will want to do twice I'm sure.

I may have to buy one just out of curiosity.
Summit carries Mallory Marine brand. I called this morning and my sales guy claimed they will add this gasket to their listing. If its cheap enough I'll add one to my next order just to check it out.

Why not just use the regular Felpro stuff ford racing sells???? Why do you feel you need a steel gasket????

Because typically a steel shim gasket is 0.015 thick VS 0.041 of the Felpro gasket, reducing my deck height.
But I have yet to verify the thickness of this gasket. Unfortunately I haven't found anyone with that answer.

If it would work, it could be an easy way for budget builds to gain quench without machine work.

dfree383 wrote:Why not just use the regular Felpro stuff ford racing sells???? Why do you feel you need a steel gasket????

Because he wants a thinner head gasket than a Felpro or Ford unit. Duh,,, I thought he did a good job explaining his self!

it never ceases to amase me how all these people put a bandaid on time after time instead of fixing a problem.....


Randy

the Coug wrote:it never ceases to amase me how all these people put a bandaid on time after time instead of fixing a problem.....


Randy

Whats wrong with bandaids? They have a time and place to be used.

A better choice would be to use a solid copper head gasket from SCE, I believe they have one that is .021!

You can get mls stuff down to about that thickness, but they are expensive, it would cost about the same to deck the block.........

easy boost in compression(if you need it),tighten up your quench,and since you are going to buy gaskets anyway i dont see a downside.but i could be wrong! make sure you let us know the thickness when you get them.

Well right idea.....wrong gasket.
I got a look at a factory Mercruiser steel shim gasket and its 0.053 thick uncompressed.
And I doubt, if its truly a steel shim gasket, that it would compress much.
Oh well, it was worth a shot.


The other thing I wondered about is the industrial 460, LSG875.
http://www.powertechengines.com/100.html
I haven't been able to find any specs on it.
I wondered if the specs on it are exactly the same as a automotive engine?
Supposedly it lists a different head gasket than a passenger car application. I believe the stainless steel head gasket is supposed to resist marine corrosion problems.
I wondered if 460 industrial motors for LPG/NG have a higher compression? And maybe they got that compression with a thinner head gasket....? Yeah, I know thats a bit of a stretch.

Guess I'll have to deck the heads 0.035 or just get over it and tear the motor down to deck the block......

Seems like somewhere out there is a cheap steel shim gasket......but I'm probably just chasing my tail. If it was out there and worked, I'd bet someone would have done it long ago!

I looked into the 0.027 cometics, but for the cost and my factory gasket surfaces might not seal......probably not worth it.

I have a guy that will make custom Copper head gaskets in (9) different thickness's ranging from .016" to .125". This will allow you to alter the bore size and shape, modify the collant passages, and adjust compression and quench with the head gasket. He can also make header gaskets, or any kind of gasket you think you might need. Great product at a real reasonable price. Contact me if your interested.

Thanks! Obviously my main concern is a leak free seal. This is a budget street car that won't be opened up again unless there is a problem.

With my pistons 0.028 in the hole, a 0.016 head gasket would help quench a lot.
Tighter quench, mid nines for compression and ported heads should give a noticeable improvment.

I will PM you for pricing.

Never mind.

[quote="andymarkv"]Thanks! Obviously my main concern is a leak free seal. This is a budget street car that won't be opened up again unless there is a problem.

With my pistons 0.028 in the hole, a 0.016 head gasket would help quench a lot.
Tighter quench, mid nines for compression and ported heads should give a noticeable improvment.

I will PM you for pricing.[/quote

I'm interested in this also. let us know if you get them and if you can keep them from leaking.

Keith