head gaskets

[Ian Faulds]

Hi, with Stoneleigh coming up next year I am making a list of stuff to look out for, one is a head gasket set, my car is a mk3 gt6, engine no. KE/20055-HE, although the head is stamped up as pic 1. 218225

gearbox no has been overstamped GR 901347  as pic 2. just shown that for additional info.

would anyone know if it would need the recessed head gasket or non recessed, or how can I tell? any advice appreciated.

p.s I blew up the gearbox pic and original no looks like WM 36826

 

Edited December 12, 2018 by Ian Faulds
new number under overstamp

[Guest]

Hello Ian,

Stoneleigh really is luck of the draw for stuff and often quality - members / Forum users who have attended have mixed views with mixed blessings.

Personally, I would go direct to Canley Classics and order from them. Their stuff is 99.9% spot-on (I've never had a issue to date) it is decent quality and should there be an issue you have a company that will deal with that properly.

I think certain items are best sourced from reputable dealers and head gaskets is one of those items - in fact they will sell the full overhaul package so you will know what you are getting.

IIRC, Canley supplied Payen when I did the cyl/head on the Vitesse and they will know if recessed or not; as will someone on here a bit later.

Good luck.

Richard.

 

[Ian Faulds]

your right classic, ill probably do that but buying at Stoneleigh saves me post especially on bigger things, and I like the day out (bar the temperature) also its good to rummage.

last time I was there I think Canley  and paddocks were there I cant remember rimmers, but it was a few years ago.

[Guest]

Canley does not attend Stoneleigh, certainly not for some time.

Rimmers yes.

You will be pleased to know they have turned the heating on now !!

[KevinR]

51 minutes ago, Ian Faulds said:

gearbox no has been overstamped GR 901347  as pic 2. just shown that for additional info.

 

The GR prefix on the Gearbox  number signifies that it is a Factory reconditioned gearbox

[dougbgt6]

Ian,

You can identify the recessed block by the head gasket tab. This is on the back at the bulkhead end. No tab, no recessed block.

Doug

[Ian Faulds]

Thanks for that chaps. looks like its the recessed head, and is it a three or single rail gearbox?

first pic tab at the back of the head doug.

diff no is third pic looks like R51597 might be a faint F in front the R but very faint or imagination.

4th and 5th where I am at now. 

[NonMember]

The gearbox is a 3-rail with D-type OD, which is the original fitment for a GT6.

That diff number looks like it's stamped on the top (next to the spring) which is not where they usually are. Have a look on the similar part of the underside of the diff.

[Ian Faulds]

thankyou for the info had a look under and it looks like KC 30349

that would make it a 3.27:1 diff which I believe is correct.

Edited December 12, 2018 by Ian Faulds
additional info

[johny]

hmmm it looks like there has been some number changes there so if you want to identify the diff ratio 100% I would do a rotation test by hand:

securely lock one wheel and mark a point on the other so as to indicate when it has completed a revolution. Mark the input flange and count the number of rotations you have to give it for the one wheel complete rotation. It should be quite easy to read off less than 3.5, more than 3.5 or less than 4......

[Ian Faulds]

hi johny thanks for that, ill check it out. when I blow up the diff no. on the bottom it doesn't look like its been stamped over.

also the what I thought was the engine number must be the head number as I found the engine number on the other side (distributor side)

this would be then the same as the log book and heritage cert.

ive just took the body off so for me interesting to look at these things.

[johny]

if it is a 3.27 you might find it a bit high geared as most OD GT6s were supplied with the 3.89 diff. It might depend on your driving style: if you want quicker acceleration and to be able to maintain 4th most of the time round town/hills or more relaxed motorway cruising. As standard our gearboxes are notoriously weak in the lower gears so for my Vitesse Ive stuck with the first option..... 

[Ian Faulds]

I only think it 3.27 as the number was kc and 3.89 was kd. It may not be original of course. It'll be coming out and I'll decide whether to service and use it or use a spare 3.63 that I have. 

[dougbgt6]

This is one of the errors in my copy of Haynes, OD 3.27, non OD 3.89, they have them the wrong way round! I've often contemplated conversion to OD, almost everyone advises 3.89 even some that have stuck with 3.27!  So I agree with Johny, interesting that he says "most OD GT6s were supplied with the 3.89 diff" I vaguely recall a while back someone said OD GT6s sold in Switzerland had 3.27 diffs. How odd, considering the terrain.

Doug

[Roger]

1 hour ago, dougbgt6 said:

 I vaguely recall a while back someone said OD GT6s sold in Switzerland had 3.27 diffs. How odd, considering the terrain.

Doug

Hi Doug,

I don’t know about Switzerland, but I have a vague memory that @Cookie wrote an article about diffs in the Courier, where he mentioned that cars sold in Sweden had a different ratio than UK models. Unfortunately there are very few cars still alive here (I consider myself to be Swedish despite having a Finnish passport, we speak Swedish here on the island, long and complicated story... 🙂 )

[dougbgt6]

 

39 minutes ago, Roger said:

long and complicated story... 🙂

Roger,

I looked up Aland on Wikipedia. Blimey! I thought Brexit was complicated. 

Doug

[Gully]

7 hours ago, dougbgt6 said:

This is one of the errors in my copy of Haynes, OD 3.27, non OD 3.89, they have them the wrong way round! I've often contemplated conversion to OD, almost everyone advises 3.89 even some that have stuck with 3.27!  So I agree with Johny, interesting that he says "most OD GT6s were supplied with the 3.89 diff" I vaguely recall a while back someone said OD GT6s sold in Switzerland had 3.27 diffs. How odd, considering the terrain.

Doug

It was Germany, which is understandable given the autobahns. That said, I guess the German models could easily have turned up in Switzerland too!

Having driven a 3.27 with OD for a while, I'm glad I changed my diff for a 3.63 (which is built into the 6 hole case of my 3.27 - hence the importance of counting turns to see what you have!).

 Gully 

[Ian Faulds]

Thanks men I'll check it out. I have spares so I'll be servicing one to use. The others are all 3.63 so I need to confirm the original and go from there. About the only spare I don't have is a gearbox so here's hoping the original is OK. 

[68vitesse]

If buying gasket set at a show always open the packet as sometimes the only original Payen is the cardboard.

Often the most used gaskets, i. e. head and manifold, are modern repros to make up a full set.

Regards

Paul

[Ian Faulds]

Thanks for the advice

[Nick Jones]

I find I can still buy the Payen gaskets from my local motor factors.

There is no substitute for NOS for the manifold gaskets though.

Nick

[Nick Jones]

I find I can still buy the Payen gaskets from my local motor factors.

There is no substitute for NOS for the manifold gaskets though.

Nick

[daverclasper]

Nick. NOS.  Is that particularly relevant to the earlier manifold gaskets, with maybe a marginal clamping setup?. 

Also, some suggestions on using 2 gaskets if they are the repro's. Any thoughts on this anyone?.  

 

Dave 

Edited December 14, 2018 by daverclasper

[johny]

after suffering a couple of failures with repro MK1 exhaust/inlet gaskets I think Ive finally sussed it - keep em tight! Yes, part of my maintenance routine now is to tighten the clamp bolts regularly as they always loosen slightly and this seems to have prevented further leaks.....

[Pete Lewis]

Yes theres a topic on here about the problems of clamps being siezed so they  seem tight but the nuts are thread bound

There were many mk1    6 pot  gaskets made with the the stud holes misaligned to the porting   up to 1/2 hole out of line

Doesnt help much 

Pete