anybody use ICS Titan Head Gaskets ?

[zrayr]

I see a head gasket replacement in my future....... coolant showing combustion gases. That Paxton sure was fun.



".......With their built-in integral combustion and coolant seals, patented SCE ICS Titan copper self-sealing head gaskets require no additional sealants. That means that you get user-friendly installation, combined with reliable fluid sealing, plus the unbeatable strength of solid-copper gaskets. The fluid seals are bonded to both sides of the gasket and cleverly offset to allow the annealed copper of the gaskets to deform around them for a better seal, and prevent blowout. The built in combustion seals, found only on the ICS Titan gaskets, take the place of the o-ringed blocks or heads allowing for the use of power adders or extreme static compression ratios. The gasket body is split at the bore opening to allow insertion of a stainless wire o-ring forming a primary seal with upper and lower flanges forming a secondary combustion pressure seal. Recommended for naturally aspirated gas or methanol racing engines, these one-of-a-kind copper ICS Titan head gaskets are suitable for medium to heavy turbocharged, blown or nitrous injected engines, as well. For ultimate sealing strength every time introduce your engine to SCE ICS Titan copper head gaskets..."


http://www.scegaskets.com/Ford/289-3...-p6631863.html

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SCE-S36065/

Z. Ray

[Jcamper]

Ok, first post, and a different engine altogether, but since you had no other replies, here's what I've got with my ICS Titan in an SVO. First off, I had my engine decked, line-bored, and the head needed some shaving so everything was straight. I had a professional do all the machine work and assembly other than mating the head/assembled block. They told me I needed a head gasket that was around .060 thick assembled in order to be back to factory specs. I found the ICS Titan and figured it was a good match. I have ARP head studs and am only running stock boost, but figured it would be good insurance.

After my first track day I noticed I was a little low on coolant, figured I hadn't burped the system right. Drove it to a few autocrosses, etc, no issues. Then after the last track day, the last session which was over a half hour full speed, I unloaded the SVO and proceeded to pat myself on the back. I was shocked to find the coolant was very low this time.

One thing I never did was re-torque the head gasket. I figured (incorrectly) that between stock boost levels/power levels, mating surfaces, and ARP head studs I would be fine. It specifically says you need to re-torque this gasket, so that could be my problem. After researching on Turboford, it sounds like lots of people have coolant loss issues with this gasket. It never blows, just leaks I guess? I am thinking I am going to re-torque it and try again.

Sorry about the long post, just wanted to give you the most accurate info possible. Jeff

[zrayr]

thanks for the reply. I'm very curious to hear if re-torquing the gasket will seal it up. I've heard several (horror) stories on other forums about the difficulty in getting these, and other, copper gaskets to seal around the water ports. So I'm torn between using more friendly composite gaskets & trying out these copper gaskets just as a challenge to see if I can get it to work right. So yeah, there is the cost factor as well. They won't break the bank, but do I want to spend $100 on a time consuming experiment ?

I have decided to try out the ARP head studs though.

Z. Ray