Thanks for the clarification, Rocky.  At least I was about 90-percent 
correct!!  8<{)  I should have known that, if anybody had the straight 
skinny on that protest, it would have been you.  I just know that we ALL 
spent an unconscionable amount of time in impound that day because of 
that protest and I had a lot of heads gazing under the bonnet of my Mini.
I've thought several times about making that same 11-stud conversion on 
my car.  I'm glad, now, that I didn't.  But I've also learned through 
trial and error over the years that, IF the head and block are decked 
true to each other, a Metro Turbo head gasket provides an even better 
(and stronger) seal than the so-called copper racing gasket on a 
high-compression (13:1) 1275.  So you really don't need the extra stud 
and bolt if you've got a quality machine shop.
John (Old Fartz & TLS #37) Lieberman
Rocky Entriken wrote:
> That was 1998, the first year the Imbeaus showed up in what was an ex-Bob
> King car.
> 
> The protest, however, was disallowed because it was "not filed in a timely
> manner."
> 
> However, IIRC, consensus was that 1) the head was nevertheless illegal, 2)
> the Imbeaus had no clue that it was and there was no bad intent on their
> part, 3) it truly did not provide any undue advantage because as you said
> the components (valves, etc.) were of correct size, and 4) the Imbeaus
> returned the following year with a different 9-bolt head. They dodged a
> bullet, but then made it right anyway for the following year.
> 
> --Rocky
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