i have a 88 iroc z28 camaro with a 350 60over engine with 305 tpi heads.

I need to know what is the best type of head gasket i should use.

thanks for the help,
jesse

 

Pretty much any one would work just fine. A regular .039" felpro one would do the job.

Unless you want to lower your quench, and want the CR boost, then go to a .015" thick style one.
I think that motor doesn't want the extra CR, so a .039" composite one would be just fine.

 

i only ask because i am having problems with keeping it cool.
i by passed the heater core and took the thermastat out and it still wants to over heat
had everything checked (meaning heads intake radiator block) and they're all fine so i thought maybe it had to much compression and blew a head gasket
if anyone has a different idea it would help and be appreciated cause the car has been sitting for almost a year and i want it back on the road

 

A 60 over 350 is gonna run a little warm to begin with. Putting 305 heads(58cc) on it will put the compression ratio way over the recommended street compression for Iron heads causing heat. You may want to try some Felpro 1044's(?). They are a "thick" gasket made to help reduce compression. I think they are.054 , or you could get 350 heads(64cc-76cc) .

 

thanks
but little warm is not quite it , it will hit 260 with in 15 minutes of driving it and the only reason i have 305 heads on it is because i want to keep the tpi fuel system i have alot of 350 heads but i am not to sure on how to get the tpi system to work with them i keep hearing just elongate to hole but if i do that, wont the bolts only catch part of the manifold with part of the bolt head. then if i do do that will that mess anythng up

 

What kind of car are you driving? Are you sure the Air Damn is still on the car and functional(forcing the air to the radiator)? Are your fans kicking on? and at what Temp? You could have other issues. As far as keeping the 305 heads so you can use with the TPI, you could always get 350 TPI heads. If thats the only reason your using the 305 heads I say yes elongate the center intake manifold bolt holes and drop on a pair of 350 heads, lots of guys do it without any problems. All your doing is changing the angle at which the bolt enters the head. You may need slightly longer bolts and a washer on each, but it will work.

 

The heater core is essentially a 2nd radiator, removing it is detrimental to cooling. That's why with weakly cooled cars, if you're going up a long hill and it's starting to sweat, you crank on the heat and crack the windows.

Anyway, I agree, the head gasket is definately the tip of the iceberg of your problem.

Not sure what short block 350 this is, so I don't know what pistons are in it. Assuming they are NOT aftermarket flat tops, using 305 heads shouldn't skyrocket your CR. You'd be in the 9.5:1 range, and with TPI that should be ok.

So, with that in mind,
air dam - is my first thought
functionality of electric fans - 2nd thought
Bad temp gauge? (not all that likely...)
So you *think* you blew a head gasket, or you did? If you overheated it, carefully check the block and head deck for flatness. A composite gasket might save you if it's below .003" or so.

 

this is the deal it is a 350 four bolt main bored 60 over, it has flat tops.
i dont know what brand but they are aluminum
everything has been checked for cracks by a shop(heads,intake,block)
i only bypassed the heater core after it started the over heating because it is a new motor and i thought that maybe it had air in the system that i couldn't get out.
but everything is new or redone and it still over heats
the fans are rigged to come on when the car starts , that i did not do it was like that when i bought it
oh yea and it has a .488 lift cam and 600 lift springs
so in short everything is new and i thought to much compression blew the head gasket but there is now antifreeze or water in the oil or coming out of the exhaust
as for the air dam that was my first thought but it is there and it is in good condition
the only reason i changed the engine is because the 305 over heated and i was driving late at night not watching the temp and it died so when i got it started again i started driving and it over heated 2 or 3 miles down the road and then started to knock
so i changed the motor and it wants to do the same thing
so any ideas will help

 

my car is a 88 Iroc-z
thanks for the ideas it is greatly appreciated

 

hmm, so you have the edelbrock performer RPM cam? 234/244?
Just an observation...

Ok, this is getting strange. I'd drain the coolant, and flush the rad - it's gotta be plugged up. Two engines overheating in a row makes me think it's not the engine.
I'd flush the rad, flush the heater core, flush the block (remove the bolts in on either side of the oil pan and let it drain. Fill it from the thermostat and let it all wash out). Put stop ***** back in if you want. Leave the thermostat out if you want.

I'd check the fans - if they're on all the time, maybe they're not running at full speed? It sounds fishy if the previous owner had wired up the fans to run all the time...

I've never experienced the problem of air in the system, I'm pretty sure that fixes itself using the overflow. But I guess fill it from the thermostat, that's pretty much the highest point in the system.

Water pump is good / recent? You're not using a normal rotation pump on your reverse rotation serp belt setup? (That's far fetched, but I had to mention it).

Maybe someone else has experienced this type of thing before. I hope it's not something silly and small.

 

did they put two different types of water pumps on the camaros in 88
because if they didnt it is new and should be the right one i got it for an 88 iroc-z
but the radiator should not be plugged i took it to a radiator shop and had it checked for plugs and they said it was fine
but thanks for the help i think i am going to put some 350 heads on it and of cours change the head gaskets and see if the water pump is working the right way
any othet ideas are welcome
----------
and you were close but i went semi cheap it was a quick put together on a small budget so i went with the summit 234/234 duration and .488/.488 lift cam lots cheaper

 

do you have your serpintine belt correctly routed?

 

u fan working rgt

 

yes the belt is routed right and the fans run when ever the key is on

 

NOT another one of those deals... fix the fan wiring so it isnt like that replace the electric fan relay it costs all of $12 at napa it is a plug in VERY EASY
then just get a new radiator and heater core cause i dont care who what or which god told you there is nothing wrong with your radiator...cause its NO GOOD... why would you boil over 2 engines in the same car and not replace a $120 radiator...and put a thermostat back in there...
that is assuming you are using 50/50 antifreeze.. which even if it is overheating you should keep it as it will raise the boiling point then makesure you have a 15PSI radiator cap that is most important as without it you garaunty a boilover