I just got the head shaved, they took 8thou off it and I was just wondering if I need to get a different head gasket to accommodate for what was taken off. Cummins said they only have one listed for my truck though. Are there others?

 

there are marine gaskets that are.10 and .20 over IIRC

 

Call one of the performance shops in the know.. PEAK, PDR or Schieds to get the right stuff.. I know not just any old oversize gasket will work. TATE down in Airdrie has some more information on that.

 

Shaving the head changes nothing as to your compression level so you can run a stock gasket (thickness) if you want. The only change the .08" will do is piston to valve clearance and that wont be a problem at .08". Many guys go to a .020" over gasket in order to drop their compression a little to help the gasket live but that's only a good option for those in the hot climates or in real high HP situations.

 

I recommend the 12v marine gasket that has been modofied for the 12v. Better material and increased valve to piston clearance (this is always an issue with the 24v engines). No real negatives to running one either. Performance Diesel Warehouse has them in stock.

Doug

 

maybe another cup of coffee before posting in the AM We know whatcha mean Doug

 

Maybe 2 or 3 cups......

 

I have a .20 over modified marine gasket in mine. Tim babrber (TRE DIESEL)put it in with my o-rings.

 

Hey Doug, do you still recommend the .020 gasket in the colder climates like Alberta? They see -30 during the winter and I know even in the milder weather we see over here in BC the trucks I know of with the thicker gaskets seem to smoke more at idle. Summers ok but in the winter its pretty noticable.

 

The combustion chamber is in the piston bowl, shaving the head changes nothing.

 

Thanks for the information guys. I called Harry at Peak and he was telling me pretty much the same info. I got some cracks in the head, they are still holding but I am just going to throw a stock gasket back on and look for another head to get o-ringed.

 

Harrys a good guy, he will give you the straight goods.
All of the heads I have had had cracks, many of them you can get away with but you need to look for ones that don't go thru the seats or the injector holes.