[alfa] Reinz head gaskets

["Ed & Marsha Prytherch" <mred2u@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

2 years ago I rebuilt my 79 spider engine and used a Reinz head gasket. It
put it on totally clean and dry per Fred's instructions. Since then I have
followed the posts about the need for gasket cement on new Reinz gaskets.

After 20,000 miles I developed an exhaust valve problem on #1 cylinder. I
had no clearance and a groove was worn on the follower. I decided to swap
out a complete head and cams from a 79 Alfetta engine. I bought a new Reinz
gasket and compared it with the old one. They are identical. After some
deliberation I decided to use gasket cement around the rear oilways. I could
not find Permatex Ultra Gray so I used Permatex Gold which is intended for
high temperature, high pressure applications. I applied a thin film to the
block and head around the rear oilways. I fitted the head and torqed it to
58 ftlb on Tuesday evening. I finished off the job this morning. The car
started first time. I drove it slowly for 2.5 miles to warm it up and
re-torqued to 61 ftlb. I added more coolant as the level was down, and
started the engine. Clouds of coolant smoke came out of the exhaust. I
drained the sump and the oil has a milky appearance and has very low
viscosity so It looks like it is a mix of coolant and synthetic 10W30.

I'm not sure where I went wrong. Did I mess up by using gasket cement? Did I
fail to apply it properly? Is Permatex Gold so unsuitable that it caused the
gasket to blow immediately? The surfaces of the head and block were clean. I
did not attempt to clean the top surface of the liners for fear of
disturbing them, but they felt smooth. I ran a die over the head studs
before I fitted the new head.

I am unsure of what to do next. My GTV was wrecked a few weeks ago. It has a
great motor and gearbox but I have not reached agreement with the insurance
company on it's value. A straight swap from the GTV to the spider would give
me time to do a complete rebuild of the spider engine with a new exhaust
valve and/or repaired valve seat. Alternatively, I could get the head/valve
repaired and refit the original head, but I wonder if the seals between the
block and liners have been compromised. It seems like I need the engine out
of the car if that is the case.

Do any of you engine experts want to offer me advice?

Thanks,
Ed Prytherch, Columbia SC
73 GTV - wrecked
79 Spider - blown head gasket
88 Milano Verde - slipping clutch.
--
to be removed from alfa, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
or email "unsubscribe alfa" to majordomo@domain.elided