I am starting my first rebuild of a 99 ls1 and have a question with the fitment of the head gaskets that I got in a kit for all the gaskets in the engine. The head gaskets are MLS and when set on the block the opening of the gasket is wider then the opening of the bore in the cyc. Is this normal? I figured I would ask first before installing them. The block is stock bore, and the gasket set is supposed to be for a stock motor. I wasn't sure if the gaskets were supposed to be like this or its a mistake. Thanks in advance for the help.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm thinking you have the right kit if the bore of the gasket is slightly larger than the block. You wouldn't want a perfect fit because when you tighten the head bolts it will crush the gasket and spread it.

 

Right, plus LS1s use pop up pistons which means the top actually raises slightly above the deck surface at the top of the stroke. If you head gasket material overlapped even slightly, the piston would contact and bad things would happen

 

cool, thanks for the response guys, that really helps and I appreciate the feed back. I will continue with the build. Thanks again.