I have an older model 350 Chevy, bored 30 over in my '84 Z-28, running on a carb. I have the stock cast heads on it and used standard .041" compressed head gaskets--Fel-pro, I believe. I need to pull my heads and was looking at the .018" steel embossed head gaskets. I know this has to raise my compression, how much I don't know. I am worried about valve clearance if I use this thinner gasket. I have a .443 lift cam in the car,not a very big one. They are 76cc heads. I would appreciate some input on this if anyone has any. Thanks---NORT

 

The steel gaskets are extremely prone to blowing; they compress once and thats it, so one instance of mild overheating will destroy them. I have never taken apart a motor where they were used that didn't have serious leaks between cylinders. I would recommend against using them. They will raise your compression less than 2 tenths of a point, IMHO not worth the extra risk.

You will have no problems with any kind of valve clearance with the parts you have, regardless of which head gaskets you use. Everything will fit fine.

76cc heads are basically junk, all of them are smog crap from the 70s. They were the reason that a 350 4-barrel only put out 165 HP in the late 70s. If you want more compression, get better heads. If you are just looking to repair & refresh what you've got, use the FelPro blue gaskets which are also about .040" thick.

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"So many Mustangs, so little time..."