Nominations for improved cooling head gasket

[stephen]

Hi Harv .. please put me down for 1 modified head gasket ..will PM my details ''
Regards
Stephen

[Rip]

Hi Harv. Have PM you details for one (1)  head gasket. Thanks Rip

[Harv]

Ladies and gents,

The final orders are in, and we are close to 120 gaskets total. From the FE/FC forum:

Crumpsnr - 2
Fraze - 1
DJ - 2
Old_Mt_Isa_Boy - 2
Fcwrangler - 3
Maco - 5
Graham_Fuller  (need a name and address please) - 2
Gary C - 2
FE_STD_WAGON - 3
Ardiesse - 11
Zulu  (need a name and address please) - 2
FCRB26 - 2
Trevor_B - 6
dwjweb63 - 2
Ray @ Laidley - 2
DCE80 - 9
KFH - 4
Airfireman  (need a name and address please) - 2
oldgrey58 - 2
fcee - 2
johnrap - 2
59wagon - 1
Rod - 2
JohnBM  (need a name and address please) - 2
snuff69 - 1
stephen - 1
RIP – 1

The sample gasket is now on it’s way to AA Gaskets. I have also forwarded to them the various info from the Service Bulletin, advertisement and MasterParts manual. They should be able to finalise the quote shortly, and we can get underway. I’ve also worked through the best method of posting the gaskets (with thanks to some of the forum members for chasing stuff for me). Looks like the best bet will be to package them up in some plastic wrap (to keep any dirt out), then two sheets of 7mm ply (to stop them being bent), secured with packing tape. Should cost $3 per package. Postage is likely to be $25.

Cheers,
Harv

[DCE80]

Thanks again for your efforts Harv.
👍

[DJ]

Very good thanks Harv.

[Crumpsnr]

Great work Harv, much appreciated. Martyn

[Harv]

Ladies and gents,

For the gasket project to fly, we need more than 50 orders (minimum run from AA Gaskets). The 50 people get to share the tooling cost (somewhere between $800 and $1500) plus the cost per gasket ($40). With 50 participants, the cost would be $70 per gasket, excluding postage.

We currently have 118 orders. This means participants would pay $53 per gasket. Packaging (7mm ply) will cost about $3, and postage probably $25 (based on what it cost me to send a gasket from Gladstone to AA Gaskets in Melbourne). So at the moment my best guess is that it will be $80 per gasket, including postage. This will change a bit as AA Gaskets finalises their quote, and if order numbers change (see below).

There is a bit of a hurdle though. I queried AA Gaskets about the warranty that would apply. Their response is below:

“In regards warranty terms, we are treating the gasket as a non-automotive product as it will not or ever will be part of our Permaseal gasket range.
The gasket is a item that you have contracted us to produce under your design requirements.
We will supply you several off tool samples for your inspection and will require written acceptance of the gasket prior to production.
Therefore we (AA Gaskets) will not be supplying any product warranty with the gaskets”

I can understand their position. AA Gaskets will take the standard Permaseal head gasket for a grey motor, and modify it to look like our sample (an old GMH gasket I sent them). They have no idea if GMH’s engineering was good.

So here is the clincher. If you order one of these gaskets, there is no warranty at all – non from AA Gaskets, and none from me. You take your own risk that the gasket does not fail and/or lead to other damage. There are some things that make me (personally) more confident in the process:
a)   we are using a known GMH solution that was successful enough to still be in the MasterParts manual when the HR Holden was released,
b)   we have tested the effects of changing cylinder head flow using Teflon blanks (see the FE/FC forum thread), and
c)   we are using a high-quality gasket manufacturer (Permaseal).
However, there will be some people who are wary of not having a warranty, and will not want to proceed. I can understand this – no harm, no foul. I will ask each of you to please confirm (either on the forum or by PM) that you understand that there is no warranty, and wish to proceed with your order. If you do not want to proceed, please also let me know.

Cheers,
Harv

[DJ]

Harv,
Happy to proceed with my order please.
I understand there will be no warranty.
Thanks for the clear detail & the option.
Dave.

[fcwrangler]

No problems from me either, as you say these are a quality gasket, so I would doubt there would be any problems.
Jim

[fcee]

Hi Harv ,yes I wish to continue with my order ,but I would have thought the gasket people may have been able to stand behind the workmanship ,in the gasket construction .cheers Steve .

[Errol62]

Sounds like it's the design not the manufacture that they are unwilling to warrant. Fair enough.


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[Crumpsnr]

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I'm still in for 2, and acknowledging that there is no warranty attached.

Ta, CrumpSnr

[dwjweb63]

G'day Harv,
I'm happy to proceed with my order.
Thanks for your effort in getting this going!
Cheers
Dave

[57effie]

Ladies and Gents,

The aim of this post is to collect firm orders for a new, better grey motor cylinder head gasket.

The link below shows some pretty detailed work by one of the FE/FC Holden forum members: http://forum.fefcholden.club/index.php?topic=26399.0
The upshot of it is that in 1963 GMH issued a Service Note AN 1627, which gives a revised head gasket, part number 7424869.  The new head gasket results in an increased flow of cooler water to the rear cylinders and valve seats, and is designed for use on vehicles operated at prolonged high speed or under conditions where severe operating temperatures are experienced. The “normal” grey motor gasket has 38 holes punched in it, in addition to the 6 large cylinder bore holes. The 7424869 gasket has 12 of the 38 small holes left blank (unpunched) to change the water flow through the cylinder head. The gasket is used in conjunction with some simple enlarging of the rear water jacket holes in cylinder head and cylinder block. To upgrade your standard grey motor cooling, you remove the cylinder head, do some very simple drilling (very achievable in a back yard), and use the new gasket.

Note that the standard gaskets sold over the counter by Repco, SuperCheap etc are not the better-cooling 7424869. To the best of my knowledge, the 7424869 gasket is not available, other than a few NOS survivors. The work done on the FE/FC forum shows that the 7424869 gasket changes really work.

My intention is to get a run of the 7424869 gaskets made (I want one anyway for my meth-monster grey motor project  ). AA Gaskets in Melbourne is willing to make the gaskets up, though we would have to pay for tooling, as well as cover a minimum run of 50 gaskets. The indicative cost of the gaskets will be $70, plus postage. As a sense check, a standard head gasket from eBay is $35-60, depending on quality (the AA Gasket type quality is around the $60 mark).

I'm going to act as the focal point for an order, similar to what I did with the hydramatic service kits. I'll raise a separate post on each of the FX/FJ, FE/FC, FB/EK and EJ/EH forums, calling for nominations on who wants a gasket. I'm not doing FaceBook (me and FaceBook don't talk), but happy if anyone wants to spruik a link to the forums. I'll let the nominations run for two weeks (end of January), and hope we get 50 nominations. I assume some blokes will want two or three, and I'll probably take 5-10 (some for me, and some for the inevitable latecomers  ). Provided we get 50, I'll place the order then manage the distribution. Not sure how I'll post these out without them getting bent... need some advice here please. If someone can scan me up a good copy of the GMH Service Bulletin, I'll include a print of that too in each parcel.

If you would like one (or more) of the 7424869 gaskets, please post here, and PM me your name and address. I’m going to take this as a firm commitment on your part to pay $70 plus postage.  I’ll collect up the nominations, and see how we go by the end of January.

Cheers,
Harv

I'd like 2 please Harv if its not to late.

Cheers
Mark

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[DCE80]

Hi Harv
Happy to proceed with the order of 9 for the SA club.
Daniel
DCE80

[Rip]

Hi Harv, happy to proceed with my order for one gasket. Appreciate your efforts with this. Rip

[Maco]

Hi Harv,
I am happy to proceed with my order, thank you.
I understand there will be no warranty.
Cheers
Maco (John)

[ardiesse]

Harv,

I completely understand that Permaseal would be unwilling to warrant a custom product.  But hey, I know that the underlying engineering is sound.
I'll still take my ten, plus the extra for the 48&FJ club.

Rob

[Trevor_B]

Hi Harv,
Understand the no warranty. Please proceed with my one and the 5 for the VIC Club.
Trevor_B

[johnrap]

Hi Harv
Please proceed with my order for two head gaskets

Thank you
John R