half metal HG?

[kotu100]

just pulled a headgasket off a friends car, the bottom where it mates to the block looks like vry thin sheet metal (but no indentations or bumps like a MHG has) and the top (head mating surface) looks like a conventional composite HG...
anyone seen this before?

 

[CyFi6]

maybe they put a mhg in without scraping off the old gasket material

 

[kotu100]

maybe they put a mhg in without scraping off the old gasket material

nope, its a single sheet of metal under the composite gasket, but its about as thick as a full MHG.

 

[CyFi6]

pics?

 

[kotu100]

you can see where the front timing cover indented since it wasnt machined flat. if i try prying apart it just destroys the composite side.

 

[slowpra na-t]

thats a funky looking head gasket... i've never seen that before.

 

[kotu100]

i didnt get a straight on shot to show it, but the composite and metal halves were actually misaligned by like 1/16"

 

[JDMMA70]

looks like two gaskets put together.

 

[CyFi6]

Looks like someone wanted to get their compression back to normal so they slapped a stock gasket on top of the middle layer of a MHG... thats funky.

 

[IwantMKIII]

Maybe they only wanted to deck one side?

 

[kotu100]

Maybe they only wanted to deck one side?

ya weird thing is the block and head were decked. shame too, the surfaces wont take a mhg anymore.

 

[SwedishMeatball]

It looks exactly like the gasket i got from the shop....
The question is how much beating it can take hehe

 

[Kckazdude]

Looks like a cylinder head shim.

 

[isnms]

may be a felpro with steel layer:

Product Line: Fel-Pro Head Gaskets
Bore (in): 3.268 in.
Bore (mm): 83.000mm
Gasket Material: Steel core laminate
FEL-9473PT
Head Gasket, Steel Core Laminate, Toyota, 3.0L, L6, Each

PermaTorque
Fel-Pro PermaTorque® head gaskets include a wire ring combustion seal inserted inside the stainless steel armor. The wire ring design provides highly concentrated sealing around the combustion chamber.

• The rubber / fiber facing material of the gasket is reinforced with KEVLAR® fiber, laminated to a solid steel core to resist torque loss and seal fluids.

 

[amichie]

Looks like a cylinder head shim.

It is . We call them head saver shims in Australia. Here you can buy 0.8 and 1.5mm thick versions that go between the block and the gasket.

 

[CyFi6]

It seals fine? Is this to get the compression ratio back? Does the block surface have to be a certain smoothness?

 

[Zumtizzle]

^it's usually coated. So yes.