When you look at the head gaskets, there is a water passage on one end of the gaskets.  That extra water passage goes at the rear of the block regardless of what the gasket is shaped like.  Water goes into the block from the water pump, out the rear of the block into the rear of the head, up to the front of the head into the intake manifold, to the thermostat housing.  Joe-JDC

JDC

I will try to add the link to a pair of steel head gaskets now listed on epay that show all 4 corners rounded. I know nolthing about this listing but there were gaskets made with all corners rounded.  https://www.ebay.com/itm/267106263304?_skw=ford+y+block+head+gaskets&itmmeta=01JXDR52TX0RQZNEK1YB25P0JR&hash=item3e30c62108:g:zTwAAOSw9O5nbEYj&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1dPc4tVm2hW7KLOX1vvIsx9GIomlw1Ey5Mh72Rw3ZYhllKzN7jts0QWMxwpU2hOhDG12jSGArzpBXLJUGDcpv3C5BajIJyzdjXJBr%2Bcbl2jv1g%2Bu52ti6EXR80EfHt58s%2FflUHDpvsDTkJn4NTg8yH%2BPCJNjnv6xZmVV5OnfV2pm6cFXxjpzR9ksaGIzBE1uf6E0HtJ0JtkUpl2yzXX8rpgfU6V5GLaoClCq3JL10WzY0%2B2xm1s7PNkRnQuUAaOLNU%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR86tlLjrZQ

64F100 57FAIRLANE500

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And there is a hole in one end of those gaskets.  That goes to the rear.  Joe-JDC

JDC

Seeing as you have determined that you have no ‘tab’, protrusion, square corner, ear, etc. at either end of the gasket as installed on the engine, one must surmise that the gaskets on your engine are ‘tabless’.  Unless someone has another method for verifying if those particular head gaskets are installed correctly, the heads would need to be removed from the engine just to verify if they were indeed installed correctly/incorrectly.  And of course that will require new head gaskets.

If the engine runs cool while idling after being thoroughly warmed up, then the head gasket orientation may not be the issue.  Most instances where the head gaskets are installed incorrectly simply has the engine slowly getting hotter and hotter and eventually boiling over.

To date, I’ve only seen the Ford Y head gaskets without the square corners on the steel shim head gaskets.  Have never seen a composite head gasket without the square corners or tabs.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

 My car/temp gauge increases on a hot day after a highway run at 70/75 MPH.   It will also increase at idle in prolonged traffic.  I was thinking that at 70 MPH there should be enough air flow through the radiator (re-cored original 3 core) to compensate.
It seems the cooling system is struggling with extremes...............................  One time this happened (no boil over).  It stayed there for a few minutes until I drove around town it finally went down to (in between the large line and the dot on the gauge)



I know the stock gauges are not very accurate.   This is an after market gauge and sender, I am hoping its better than stock.