0.050" is pretty much the same as a stock gasket, fyi.

I'm sure the motor will be fun, what cam are you going to use? The bigger and lumpier the better!

The car will have a K-cam...nothing else is getting changed (though I do have an R-Sport F grind around somewhere, but Greg's not getting it )

Here are the gasket specs:
B20 A head 3.41" -- head gasket .055 ( 1.4 mm ) unloaded --- .047 ( 1.2 mm ) loaded

B20 B head 3.39 " --- head gasket .031" ( .8 mm ) unloaded --- .028 ( .7 mm ) loaded

B20 E head 3.34 " --- head gasket .031" ( .8 mm ) unloaded --- .028 ( .7 mm ) loaded

B20 F head 3.42" -- head gasket .047" ( 1.2 mm ) unloaded - .039 ( 1 mm ) loaded

IPD also makes a low compression gasket that is 0.068" unloaded. Most of the replacements are for B20 F's although the gasket thicknesses seem to be all over the map. IIRC - my Elring matched none of the above specs.

What did your HG measure Greg?

I've got a D cam although it's still in the B20E in the shed. I've also got what could be an "F" cam and a new B cam.

I hadn't planned on changing the cam at this point, although if one were available...

Considering I've also got some metal timing gears that could go in, it wouldn't be all bad to do that up at the same time.
Really, I don't need to go too crazy with the thing though, as I want this car to be good down low, and possibly towing down the road. And the K cam wasn't half bad if I remember correctly?

I don't have the HG measurement Craig. I'll get it next time I'm in the garage.

I cannot wait to have this thing running good. Fingers crossed the internals look good once the head comes off. Just having it idle correctly will be good enough, but more power will just be cake. I've got a NOS FPR to go in as well, which should help things.

ahhh, too many project cars! Y'all have been talking about those old school pushy rod things...disregard previous comments, only relevant to OHC engines!

Ahhh, gotcha.

Well, I've been goin' like stink the last few days, getting stuff ready for the head swap. First up was painting the head now that its back from the machine shop. After a thorough cleaning, I started masking. This is how it came out...



I have to say, this job SUCKED. I hated it. I guess that's why there's aluminum heads in the world, so they don't need to be painted.

Next up, paint. One coat of POR, which I let dry the usual amount, but due to it not being warm enough in the garage, ended up being still too wet for the topcoat. Oh well. First coat of POR enamel red went on, mixing a little with the black, giving it a dark swirly hue. Final coat fixed that.




Looks alright. The sad part of it all, is that a piece that shiny has to go into this...



Blech. The more I look at this car, the more I wonder why I've spent as much time on it as I have. Labour of love I suppose.
At any rate, yes, the head is pulled as of tonight. All went alright, save one stuck exhaust manifold nut, and a broken EGR pipe. Guess I'll be deleting that. It took me a bit to figure out how the intake and exhaust manifolds bolt on, but eventually I figured it out. The cylinder bores are quite shiny, but there's zero ring ridge, so that's good.



So let me get this straight...the fresh air comes in one side, and the exhaust leaves....on the same side?
Who thought of this?!!

'Twas a productive weekend. The head is on! Craig and Dale came by on Saturday, and helped me get things put on.
Behold, Professor Coburn using the torque wrench of the future to wrangle the head into position.



This is what I mean about a nice part in an ugly engine bay...


It looks kinda ridiculous. But I've been working pretty much every day, getting stuff clean and shiny...beadblasting over at Craigs. The main holdup now is the heater hoses, which were pooched, so I ordered those but I won't have both until Wednesday. I'm gonna wait to put the intake and exhaust manifolds on until the hoses are on, because those things are a pain to access otherwise. I picked up a few other bits to plug up the EGR/air pump holes as well.

A big thanks to Craig and Dale for their help on the weekend, and to Craig for letting me use his cabinet.

Anyone have the torque specs for the b20 intake and exhaust manifolds? I can't find them anywhere, including the Greenbooks on K-jet.org. Assembly happens tonight.

About 1 Dupuis....

That's it?

1.3 on the exhausts.

That's a logarithmic scale and 10 is only theoretical...just saying.

Haha!
Car is assembled. First drive in the morning. Its going to be hard to contain the tire smoke.

you better post vids!