Tim Butler

Never forget your nuts... Yet to tell my wife I'm getting advice on good head from people on the Internet... 😳

Just the confusion around the elongated water jacket hole. Doesn't really matter, I think you guys are right that it's a 1.

So evidently the block remains a bit of a conundrum, but we'll spotted on the bulge front as the images of HGs show the mk1 with a bulge and the others without. The old HG isn't a recessed style, but it's definately for a latter mk as the bolt holes are larger (which as pointed out wouldn't help with it's positioning. I'll fit a mk1 gasket as the curved waterways don't connect to the head anywhere so it shouldn't affect cooling. And I'll get some new short studs (although Rimmers photos show them as silver rather than black) and go for the mini nuts. I considered asking Chris Wittor for an opinion as I was surprised to see he is based near me, but figured that may be a bit too cheeky. Going into rest days now, so hopefully I'll get chance to clean up the head and refit the valves. Try and brave the cold to clean up the block (I really need a garage!), then it'll be time to refit... Want to try and get it back on the road as it's spent more time in pieces than driveable since I bought it!

Photos of the block, cars and old HG. It's blown at the front of the block, closest to the manifolds. I'll have a look at getting the mini nuts as suggested, trying to locate some decent studs in the hope that they'll take a better torque. Still unsure whether to run with the mk3 payen gasket I've got, or buy a mk1 copper gasket...

Well I'm not too hung up on originality, if it's a mk1 engine then so be it! Just got to be a rot in mind when ordering parts. It does have the curved water channel in the block that DanMi mentions, yet it has the smaller diameter head studs 🤷‍♂️ the head has no corresponding channel for the curved water channel but it didn't have overheating issues so I guess it works... I suppose I'll try a mk1 head gasket and see how I get on. The PO had put on a mk3 head gasket and it worked for the most part, just a small area by number 1 piston where it had failed across the chamber and water channel (probably due to low torque as that nut was very easy to undo) I'll upload a few pics of the block and carbs, and the tunnel is already off where I removed the heater matrix box to install a larger fan, so I'll add some of the gearbox. Although I'm off a night shift so some sleeping shall be had first! I already had the gearbox apart where I removed it to change the thrust bearing, so replaced some of the gearbox bearings at the same time. And I rebuilt the rear diff where the thrust washers were causing some nasty prop backlash (I don't even want to check the diff serial number!)

I dread to even look! Still not convinced as to which block I have, it has a non round waterway at the front which makes me think it may still be mk3, but I just don't know at this stage. Probably getting too hung up on it, just need to figure out which head gasket to get! I guess a mk1, given the stud size, which typically is twice the price of the one I have. One day I'll learn to just leave things well alone to avoid opening another can of worms!

So the studs are definately the smaller diameter. Having said that I don't think the block has been re-stamped, it looks like that's exactly what has happened. Had a closer inspection and removed a metal plate that someone has stamped up from where the block number should be. No stamped numbers underneath sadly, guess the block could have been skimmed in the past so no way to ID what it was in a past life. So I guess I've a LHD mk3 body, converted to RHD. With a MK1 engine fitted and a MK3 OD. Like the world's shittest puzzle... Best re-order parts for a mk1 engine...

I shall check the pistons for markings, but they are definately flat topped. And I've got new head gasket, studs and nuts on order so I can check the diameter of the existing. It only really flagged up to me when I realised that I've ordered studs for the mk3 engine, which are all long, and when removing I realised that half of the studs are short... It doesn't look like the block has been re-stamped. Carbs are dual stromberg, with the crank breather hose going into the inlet manifold... Certainly a frankenstein's monster as it has a d type overdrive. I bought the car as the bodywork was in good nick with no rust and I don't mind mechanical tinkering, however when rewiring to accommodate more fuses and re-veneering the dash I discovered the body was originally a LHD 🙄 It's also supposed to be a rotoflex by the model year, but is now a swing spring 🤷‍♂️

Thanks for the feedback. It's definately a mk1 stepped head, have added a photo as below.

Hello, hoping some engine buffs can assist. I bought a mk3 gt6 a while ago and the further I dig the more I think Mary Shelley could write a novel about it. I recently noticed the head gasket was blowing coolant, so I whipped the head off today. Transpires that it's an early vitesse head I believe, I'm curious as to whether this will throw up compression ratio issues... The block appears to be a mk3, the number is KE011446HE, flat top pistons, whereas the head is 515440 with the in line ports. Should I just throw it back together with a new gasket or should I make some alterations? It ran OK, but I did notice that a few rocker clearances were tight even with them fully wound in. I don't much fancy buying a new head and manifolds, but don't know if the earlier head will be giving me poor performance. Any advice would be appreciated...