SSPEEDY

iTrader: (4)

I'm not sure what to believe. After doing some searching on this subject today and a couple weeks ago it only leads me to more confusion.

I bought a set of the tsp ls6 heads. I want to swap them on my car but have heard unless the block is brand new that I may get leaks even though it's a MLS type gasket. Some guys say don't do it, others swear no problems. I already know about using a plastic putty knife to scrape off all the old graphite gasket material and to be meticulous with cleanup.

Anyone have any solid evidence that it's a bad idea? I'm willing to sacrifice a couple hp and stick with factory GM gaskets if the Cometics will leak.

Ferocity02

iTrader: (60)

Well if you're swapping heads you're going to want to swap gaskets as well. Head gaskets don't give or take power, unless you change the thickness to increase or decrease your compression ratio. They are more of a piece of mind thing. You shouldn't have any problems putting in new gaskets. You're just doing a head swap which people do daily on here. Just make sure the deck is nice and clean before putting on the new gaskets.

HavATampa

iTrader: (49)

There is always going to be people with good and bad luck when doing any modifications. I say go for it mainly to get the smaller quench. I have the Cometics .040" on a 2000 block with new 5.3 heads and no problems. I removed the heads recently to flycut the pistons and reused the same gaskets. No problems. As long as piston to valve clearance isn't an issue and the the deck is true and clean, you will be fine.

bigdsz

iTrader: (1)

Some guys use the Permatex copper spray on their MLS gaskets. My friend who is a GM master tech used it on his Cometic .040 gaskets. Do a search.

bandit_99

Alot of guys do the copper spray- the instructions say put them on dry and that's what I did. Just prep the hell out of the deck and make sure all the old gasket is gone and the deck should look like new when you are done. If you take your time and get everything, you should not have any problems. Do a search on some my posts from last month and one of the threads has good instruction on how to prep the deck and heads to ensure the gasket will seal well. Tight quench is your friend.

66deuce

iTrader: (1)

i put the copper sealant on mine,but if you do,go easy on it.
the main thing is to make sure the surfaces are clean and smooth.and make damn sure you get all the gunk out of the head bolt holes.GM uses a lot of thread locker on the OEM bolts.if you don't get all of this out of the holes you will get inaccurate TQ readings,which could also cause a leak.
there's a reference in the instructions as to how smooth the surfaces should be.not all heads are milled as smooth as others.when i got mine back from LPE,the surface was almost like a mirror.a lot better than my first set of heads.good luck.

EXILE

iTrader: (22)

i put cometics on dry with arp head bolts be sure and clean your head bolt holes to get proper tq readings i used a straw and a milk cap with my shop vac saw this on tech and go back and retorque your heads after a heat cycle and havent had any problems

good luck