When reassembling a 3A motor a LONG time ago, I put on the head, torqued it,
installed the pushrods and then decided to pull one of the pushrods out for
unknown reasons. As I did this, it pulled up the lifter, out of its bore
above the cam. Try as I might, I couldn't get the lifter back in the bore.
So, I pulled off the head, popped in the offending lifter, and reassembled
the rest of the motor using the same head gasket. After cranking the car
for about a week, I pulled the plugs and found them to be wet with fresh
antifreeze. Changed out the gasket, and it started on the first try.
Moral of the story- Once you squeeze 'em and remove, they become
badges of honor to decorate your shop walls with. Or perhaps Christmas tree
ornaments for the real diehard lbc enthusiast.
What did you need to 'doublecheck' on the head?
Regards,
Bob Westerdale
59 3A TS36967
-----Original Message-----
From: Eric Conrad [mailto:conrade@qwest.net]
Sent: Wednesday, January 03, 2001 5:33 PM
To: 'Triumphs'
Subject: Reusing new head gasket after torquing head
All right, chalk this one up to another dumb question. I've reassembled my
engine, but thought of something that I'd like to double check on the head.
I've already torqued the head down to spec. The engine has not been started
since reassembly. If I remove the head, can I reuse the head gasket, or
should I install a new one?
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