Engine and Transmission Tech

David, I'll throw in with you if you're drilling for 6 bolts. I'm getting closer to time to get my Olds engine back together.

Art,
In re: why prefer steel shim vs. composition head gaskets. For me, the primary reason is to reduce the amount of dead chamber volume. Composition head gaskets are .040" thick and they are larger than the engine bore. If the engine bore is 3.5" dia. and the composition head gasket is 3.8" dia. (to allow its use on both 3.5L engines as well as the 4.0/4.6L engines), that amount of dead area is about 1cc. If the target chamber volume is in the 40cc range, that 1cc is a loss of 2 1/2 percent of chamber volume. I'm not worried about the compression ratio here, I'm worried about the fact that this volume of fuel/gas mixture is not going to be burning at TDC because it is trapped in the crack. Eventually it will get burned, but not in time to help with peak cylinder pressure.

But, I might be totally full of crap about this.

Paul, ok, you may have stumbled onto something here...3.5" bores AND hyd. roller cams, LOL. I think you bespeak of needless, excessive SV. ratio ? I have "dinky bore", sandwhiches, if you need. roverman.