So third head gasket in a year. Thinking about pulling the motor to have block surfaced. Engine has 230,000 on it. Thinking since I'm there doing a rebuild. Extras may include cam, O Ringing the head, the bigger studs, maybe some headwork. Anything else i should look into? Tired of messin around, I just want to be done with it.

 

I wouldn't bother with the 14mm studs. Save them for if, and with your luck, when the threads give out on a 12mm.

Did you check the block with a straight edge when you pulled off the head 1 of the 3 times?

I would go with O-rings.

I have seen a truck simular to yours O-ringed and studded blow a HG simply because he didn't let it warm up before hammering.

Saw another one that had a head that just kept "bananaing". Had it resurfaced 2 times, every time it blew the HG within a year.

Good luck,

J.D.

 

Block is straight, checked it every time. Let it idle to temp and re torqued the studs. Then drove it easy for a couple days and re torqued again. Never took it out and Hammered on it. The truck hasn't seen more than 30 psi on the the new studs.

 

You running orings or stock head? The block should be fine. More often its the head that causes the problem? If you have orings check the protrusion on the oring all the way around the circle. What did you torque your studs up to. Something sounds off, I bursted a few head gaskets, but thats after a few 70+psi boost runs. How did you do the install? When did you do the retorques. Sorry for all the questions. The head is usually has the warpage issue. 30 psi is nothing, you could use stock stuff and push that amount of boost.

 

Stack head .020 over 12v gasket. Torqued to 125. heat cycled then torqued drove a week then retorqued