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View Full Version : Copper head gasket


Brewster
03-09-2011, 09:10 PM
Anyone have any experance with making a copper head gasket? I have looked around and I dont think its to hard. Any input?

Smithers
03-11-2011, 07:08 PM
I'm sure lots of guys made em when they raced these engines back in the day. I bet if you cruise around to the CB160 racing forums you'll be able to gather some good info on the subject. I have a friend that used to build and race these engines back in the day. This guy really made his own crankshafts, bored out the cylinders and all sorts of crazy stuff. I'll ask him about this mad scientist stuff next time I see him for ya. I do know that when you use solid alloy head gaskets you MUST machine the surfaces to a mirror finish. I mean REALLY smooth them down and also use copper head gasket spray sealer. I used solid head gaskets on my Lexus V8 and had one hell of a time sealing them! I had to buy ARP racing studs and torque down them down so hard it was insane. These head gaskets are so inexpensive for these bike I just wouldn't bother with making my own head gasket.

The studs that hold the cylinders on are just so long and designed for a low amount of torque. This makes the stretch just right to hold the clamping force down just right on the stock crushable head gaskets. I wouldn't want to experiment with a solid gasket. I would really be interested in checking the specs on the CB studs vs the CA studs. I would surely use different nuts and washers too. I bet those vintage racing guys have this whole process down to a science. There are some REALLY sharp cookies in that crowd.