No headgasket??

All things K & Sportster

No headgasket??

Postby K Daddy » Wed Jan 30, 2019 5:16 pm

I noticed there is no head gasket shown in the parts manual for the K model and there were no gaskets there when I removed the heads. I thought this was an oversight but no, apparently there is no head gasket and never was for the K model.
I am amazed and have never seen any engine with no head gasket.
This seems dangerous as the head could get ruined from exhaust gases leaking between the head and cylinder.
Wouldn't it be better to cut a thin copper gasket from sheet copper? Maybe 1/64 think?
Does everyone just go gasket free and don't have any problems?
K Daddy
 
Posts: 39
Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2018 10:44 am

Re: No headgasket??

Postby hennesse » Wed Jan 30, 2019 5:25 pm

Look at Shop Dope #332 - over in the Literature section.

Rustoleum Aluminum paint, 1/2 pint can. Especially good if it has been sitting on the hardware store shelf for many years - and is real thick down at the bottom of the can.
User avatar
hennesse
Site Admin
 
Posts: 668
Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2014 11:28 pm
Location: Warrenton, Virginia

Re: No headgasket??

Postby starcain » Wed Jan 30, 2019 5:34 pm

This is out of a Competition Racer Specs and instruction manual. It's the same for all K Model heads.
Attachments
Head Gasket Paint (Copy).jpg
Head Gasket Paint (Copy).jpg (39.19 KiB) Viewed 12140 times
User avatar
starcain
 
Posts: 301
Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2014 10:13 am
Location: Bellville, Ohio

Re: No headgasket??

Postby Ferrous_Head » Wed Jan 30, 2019 6:38 pm

Gaskets are there to allow for small imperfections on the sealing surfaces. If you have no imperfections there is no need for a gasket.

We can and do run without gaskets on our race engines. These run at compression ratios exceeding 15 to 1. We run Methanol.
On a 30 HP flathead it would be no big deal.
"I know only too well the evil that I propose, but my inclinations get the better of me."
User avatar
Ferrous_Head
 
Posts: 384
Joined: Tue Jun 06, 2017 5:36 pm
Location: Australia

Re: No headgasket??

Postby Redpan » Wed Jan 30, 2019 6:56 pm

Millions of Volkswagens used no head gaskets.
Redpan
 
Posts: 29
Joined: Mon May 28, 2018 8:47 am

Re: No headgasket??

Postby mikeslemmon » Wed Jan 30, 2019 7:05 pm

Sprints don't have head gaskets
mikeslemmon
 
Posts: 144
Joined: Sat May 24, 2014 11:36 am

Re: No headgasket??

Postby hennesse » Wed Jan 30, 2019 7:28 pm

Ferrous_Head wrote:Gaskets are there to allow for small imperfections on the sealing surfaces. If you have no imperfections there is no need for a gasket.


Get a piece of window glass the size of a sheet of Wet-or-dry sandpaper. Put sandpaper on glass. Put cylinder head on sandpaper. Swirl the head around to get a nice flat mating surface on your head.
User avatar
hennesse
Site Admin
 
Posts: 668
Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2014 11:28 pm
Location: Warrenton, Virginia

Re: No headgasket??

Postby thefrenchowl » Wed Jan 30, 2019 8:12 pm

Get a piece of window glass the size of a sheet of Wet-or-dry sandpaper. Put sandpaper on glass. Put cylinder head on sandpaper. Swirl the head around to get a nice flat mating surface on your head.


Better use oil on the sand paper... And do the same procedure with the cylinders...

Better still, no sand paper but oil mixed with fine valve seat grinding paste directly on smooth plate, lot smother finish.

Better still, find a cast iron hand ground table...

And there's no head gasket in Ks cause of the rather well controlled squish, not because heads/cylinders are flat... Head gasket would ruin the squish...

Patrick
Flat Head Forever
https://web.archive.org/web/20071011184353/http://www.harleykrxlrtt.com/index.htm
I'm the one who has to die when it's time for me to die so let me live my life the way I want to...
thefrenchowl
 
Posts: 611
Joined: Sun Jun 28, 2015 4:33 pm

Re: No headgasket??

Postby thefrenchowl » Thu Jan 31, 2019 9:18 am

Image

Image

Patrick
Flat Head Forever
https://web.archive.org/web/20071011184353/http://www.harleykrxlrtt.com/index.htm
I'm the one who has to die when it's time for me to die so let me live my life the way I want to...
thefrenchowl
 
Posts: 611
Joined: Sun Jun 28, 2015 4:33 pm

Re: No headgasket??

Postby Noot » Thu Jan 31, 2019 11:10 am

Listen to Patrick (good advice). I use H-D Silver Barrel Paint on the head(mask off combustion chamber) and the top of cylinder(mask cooling fins and center). I let it dry good for assembly. Some builders use copper coat, but I've never tried it. Make sure you clean the top of cylinder and head really good with a paper towel and brake kleen. Get it really clean and dry before painting. Use light, even coats of paint. ;)
Noot
 
Posts: 48
Joined: Mon Nov 17, 2014 4:21 pm

Next

Return to General K / Sportster Discussions

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests

cron