head gasket question
 

ok guys. I am having new head studs put in the truck within the week and had a few questions about the head gasket. I am planning on running around 45-50psi on the truck but havent ever changed the head gasket. I havent found any good reading material on the subject so have no clue about the process (being in Iraq doesnt help that). I was wondering 1. if it has to be changed when swapping head studs 2. if yes(or no) what should it be swapped with and 3. how much does the ball park o-ring job cost for the cylinder heads? Thanks for any info. :c:

I dont think you can bottom tap the holes with the head on a VP24V... I know the CR24V you can. Sooo the head might have to come off. With that said you might want to:

• check the head for cracks
• check it for flatness
• do a valve job while its off
• Deck the head if its not flat
• O-ring (normal $300)
• It is a good time to do valve springs if you want to or have the $

If the head checks out good just head to your local dodge dealer and get a new head gasket and put it back on. I personally would have it O-ringed if the head is off.

remember you CAN NOT hammer on the truck once the head is put back on with the studs!!! you have to baby it until you get a few heat cycles and at least 3 re-torques of the studs. Failure to do so will end up in a blow headgasket!!!!

Not to shock you but its normal for the 24V to have cracked valve seats from excessive heat.... so dont be shocked if they say its junk:argh:

Ian

It is possible to change out the studs one at a time on these and get them tapped, but if it's going that far just pull it off and have it o-ringed to handle the boost and as stated above should be 300 for it. Send the head out and have it surfaced as no matter what anyone says all the heads have cracks. Mine had cracks between every valve had it surfaced and you could barely see them and it's been on for 5 months and seen 50psi quite a few times. Make sure your getting arp head studs and that they only use the arp molly lube as this makes the slip correct for their torque specs.

is there a specific brand of orings to get that are better than the rest?

o-rining should be about $200. But, when and if you pull the head, you will most likely need guides.Just the nature of the beast.

As mentioned, the head gasket does not need to come out to fit studs. Also, the holes can be bottom tapped, but it's rarely needed.

If you do decide to O-ring, a thicker gasket can help lower the static compression slightly, which allows for more volume for oxygen, which helps us spin the motor up a little bit more with the same given setup.

Dave