Removing sof gaskets from engines without damage?

[frank mccune]

      Hello All:

      I have some engines from the 40's and 50's that I can not keep my hands from messing with them.  Curiosity, you know!

      One is a 40's McCoy Sportsman .19 in which I would like Mr. Bowman to replace the rings.  If I remember correctly, this engine had a "paper" or fibre gasket between the head and cylinder that always tore to pieces when the head was removed.  I would like to avoid this if possible.

     The other engine is a Fox .29 or .35 that I would like to mike to obtain the dimensions.  I hope that this engine has the metal "blow out proof" gasket that I may be able to reuse.  I do have some Fox .35 Stunt head gasket in the attic if that may fit.

     Any suggestions as to how I may R&R soft head gaskets without damage to them?

    In the past, I have made head gaskets but would rather have a rusty rod thrust into my eye than do this task. Lol Just kidding.

      Suggestions?

                                                                        Tia,

                                                                        Frank McCune

[Andrew Hathaway]

Heat gun + acetone can work sometimes.  The early Fox head gaskets (pre-aluminum) are probably going to be destroyed regardless.  Personally I just avoid disassembling the head from any Fox before about 1960.  The worst part about the fiber head gasket is that it's a real PITA to get out of the groove.  There's an automotive gasket disolving/removing product I might try the next time I need to remove the remnants of an old Fox gasket, but I have no idea if it'd be aluminum safe or if it'd even work, it would just beat picking the pieces loose, abrading the surface and lapping the mating surface smooth again.

If the gasket doesn't leak, I wouldn't tear it down. 

[Chris Wilson]

I don't think that you can remove them without damaging them because they tend to split.

Remove them with a flat bladed jewelers screwdriver and replace with alloy.

Fibre head gaskets will crush with time and use and increase your compression ratio so why use them when a far better alternative is available?

[Gerald Arana]

The good old crock pot will remove most anything..........given enough time.

Just be sure to use aluminum safe anti freeze. (prestone) 

Jerry

PS: Use a sharp (flattened) bamboo skewer the width of the groove.

[Jim Kraft]

All of the old Foxes that I have worked on have always had the rod stuck on the wristpin. So I have usually had to pull the head to get the piston out to clean up the rod and wristpin. A good soaking in the crockpot for about 8 hours, a little PB Blaster, and some heat will usually let you get them out without damage to the head. I have some old nylon radio tuning tools that I rework to shape to clean out anything that was stuck. Aluminum always goes back except in Fox 59's. I have one 59 that aluminum works fine on and another that I cannot get to seal. Perfect makes fibre head gasket material with out asbestos.

[Bill Johnson]

I've had to do a lot of gasket removals from aluminum. Permatex or CRC gasket removal products do a good job of softenning them up, then a non-metallic scraper will get the rest off without damaging aluminum sealing surfaces.

Scrapers are typically made from phenolic (just because we always have it around for making forming blocks) but plexiglass works well also. Even a piece of hardwood, sanded to a chisel point works well.