Fly cutting a cylinder head - GIF

[NeiljohnUK]

On all the old flat heads I've done, new or used gasket, run it to temperature, let cool, re-torque...

On used head gaskets, spray them with high-heat aluminum paint then soak them in water. Many of the old ones had asbestos in them...

Old 1920's Rolls Royce's used a single sheet of brown wrapping paper as a head gasket, not to seal as such, but to prevent the head and block wringing together, both being hand scraped to FLAT in the factory, a friend rebuilding one couldn't believe it when he took the head off, we blue checked both on a surface plate and still flat after 80 years!