Folks,
I'm "into" my Crown y-block due to several issues: it's a "morphidite" put together previously by someone unknown to me before I got the car.

When originally trying to deal with a Ford "94" 2-bbl carb issue vs a '57 distributor [incompatible vacuum advance] I removed the intake manifold to re-paint and block-off the crossover exhaust. In doing that I found dry & rusty intake bolt threads on the left (drivers) side which made me really suspicious of lack of top-end oiling to that side [passenger (right) side intake manifold bolts were in the usual "oily" condition, which I considered "good". That led me to removing the left head to check for oil-path blockage (oil was O. K.), which led me to removal of a lot of really "wet" carbon build-up in the combustion chambers and on the piston tops (the carb was obviously running really rich).

And that led me to removing the right-side head also: So, now I need to replace heads, etc.

I have an old set of the original-style steel head gaskets (Victor 1176BS) and may want to use them with permatex aviation gasket cement in order to retain the proper quench as the pistons are all "in" by approx. 0.020" recess (originally, Ford had those thin steel gaskets sprayed with one coat of fresh aluminum paint both sides, let dry, and re-coat with "dry-to-tacky" then immediately install and torque heads while still "tacky"). I'm really hesitant to use the newer composite gaskets due to this issue; and I'm not in a position to zero-deck the block or replace rods, etc., to bring pistons up. Suggestions please.

In '57, Ford eliminated the oil trays under the rocker arm assembly "due to a technical change" according to a TSB (I don't know what that "change" was). My rockers are a "57 (or later) variety with 1.54 rockers and self-locking adjusters: when I first looked at them, the adjusters were extended quite a lot for proper valve lash; I'm thinking that the trays ought to be left-out when I re-assemble to bring the rocker geometry to a better place. Suggestions, comments???

Finally, I'm looking for a good cooling system cleaner for use after I get it running again; I used to use "du Pont #7 Heavy Duty Engine Cleaner" [with Oxalic acid],,but, can't find it anymore. Suggestions??

Thanks, JLB



55 Ford Crown Victoria Steel Top

My two cents worth on the subject.

The steel shim gaskets are not recommended due to several different issues with them.

1. Top of the list is sealing against water leaks.  While painting or coating those gaskets with sealer may help, there’s no guarantee that will prevent water seepage.
2. Any warpage of the cylinder heads is exasperated with the use of the steel shim head gaskets as those gaskets do not conform as well to any deformities that may be residing in the cylinder heads.
3. The original grade five and grade six head bolts are barely adequate for clamping purposes and as time goes on, they tend to become more elastic.  When new, they do not provide the same clamping force as the grade eight head bolts and subsequently do not put an adequate clamping pressure on the steel shim head gaskets.  Keep in mind that Ford went to a grade eight head bolt in 1963 for the Y after years of fighting problems with the lesser grade head bolts.
4. The long-term wear factor of the steel shim head gaskets is shorter than the composition head gaskets.  Those passages in the gaskets that are blocked by design will eventually rust out and promote an overheating scenario.
5. And not to be forgotten is the retorqing of the head bolts after running an engine with steel shim head gaskets.  That retorquing of the head bolts is not required with composition gaskets.

While it is desirable to keep the piston quench minimal, the advantages of using composition head gaskets over the steel shim head gaskets more than outweighs the disadvantages.  On a stock 292 using ECZ-G heads, the difference in compression ratio between using the oem steel shim head gasket versus the BstGskt 572G head gasket is a half a point.  With the lower quality of todays gasoline, that’s likely not in the wrong direction to be going with the compression ratio.

With all that being said, I do prefer the Best Gasket head gaskets over some of the other brands that are out there.  Best Gasket has continually improved the head gasket design for the Y and those gaskets seal from the git go without requiring a retorque of the cylinder heads after a period of running.  The ‘blue’ Fel-Pro head gaskets are noted for coolant leakage at the lower edge of the cylinder heads.  That’s a result of too much material in those gaskets around the pushrod holes which prevents an equal clamping force at the bottom of the cylinder heads.  Fel-Pro has been talked to about this but they were not into retooling the head gasket dies to fix that particular problem.

Feel free to post other views on this subject.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Exactly what happened with the blue Fel-Pro gaskets on my engine. There's evidence of coolant weeping at the lower edge on the cylinder heads. I've never been able to sneak up and catch it leaking, though.  It leaves a couple frosty white streaks running down the block but haven't noticed any additional streaking lately. Wish I had known of the Best gasket before I assembled the engine. Live and learn.............. 

64F100 57FAIRLANE500