hunterz

Hello does anyone know of a guide or any info for fitting a copper cylinder gasket about how you heat it up then cool down to seat it correctly

thank you

splcrazy

i dont know about about heat treating them before putting them on or anything , i just smear some gasket sealer on them on both sides as you must do this or else youll have leaks then just bolt it up as usuall .

DarkSoul Racing

Its a problem that no one has ever really addressed that I can see. Most copper base gaskets seem to be just plain water jet or die cut copper with no annealing afterwards. This is why you have to use some gasket sealer with them. If a copper gasket is properly annealed, it will actually compress a bit like a paper gasket and give a superior seal.

As for annealing it yourself, I would not know where to begin. A professional heat treater / annealing shop will have a process of bringing it up to temp, and then cooling it at a very specific rate. Annealed copper will have a sort of rainbowish color to it, like oil on top of water.

splcrazy

yeah and then again heat treating it will probally warp the hell out of it , its prob just safer not heat treating them and just smearing some gasket sealer and just bolt it up i reakon .

DarkSoul Racing

Actually it wont at all, there are some annealed base gaskets and cylinder dome gaskets available, they are just kinda hard to find, and expensive.

here is one that I believe is properly annealed-

http://www.davesmotors.com/store/product925.html

And I know for a fact that these are annealed since I know that guy that makes them-

http://www.davesmotors.com/store/product712.html

This isn't rocket science, its very simple, but people have to be willing to pay for the next step in quality.

splcrazy

hey is there gonna be any exciting new products from darksoulracing ????????? when is somebody gonna come out with a funky new design for a main chassis for the baja5b ?? how about making us a laser engraved chassis wtih some kind of pattern going on the side of the chassis ? would be verry cool indeed

hunterz

do you heat it up on the engine I thought I saw somthing that says to heat it on the engine and tighten the head then let it cool and repeat a few timees or somthing to that affect

DarkSoul Racing

I personally have not heard that, I suppose its possible, sounds like a lot of work to seat a base gasket though. I asked around a bit more about annealing copper, and the basics are that when you anneal it, you do in fact "soften" it up a bit since it got work hardened from creating the sheets in the first place. At that point, when you tighten it back down, you are in a sense, work hardening it again by trying to squish it, hence the better sealing properties of annealed copper base gaskets.


We have a ton of new stuff coming, most of it will be released at RCX, I have at least one thing slated for release in about 10-12 days, and possibly another in probably a month to 6-8 weeks, if I don't actually show it off, there will be a major announcement anyways. I will have to ask the mods if I can post up our latest goodies, I think they will allow me 1 item a month, so let me run this stuff by the mods, and I may start a new thread.

ryan@ddm

Ted, you can add new products anytime via the Magazine --> New Products link at the top of any RCU page.

Then start a thread linking to the RCU new product announcement when it is approved.

DarkSoul Racing

Aha, thanks Ryan, I guess i would have found that eventually, but again, too lazy to really search .

hunterz

hello so should I just put the gasket straight on and do I need to use gasket sealer if which type someone mentiond copper gasket paste

splcrazy

yeah and make sure the gasket sealer or gasket maker it could be called both , that its suitable for fuel . they usualy come in small tubes or those silicon tubes and they very expensive like 30 bux for a tube loctite and permatex make them , apply a small portion on your finger and smear a thin layer over on both sides of gasket , then bolt it up , try not to get any on the piston if you do just wipe it off .

tizdaz

hmm im confused.... how do u start the engine up with the head bolts loose ? wont it kinda spit fuel/oil everywhere as the head will b loose ?

splcrazy

lol i think it wouldnt start at all with a loose head , plus how in the world is the copper gasket gonna heat up properly with a loose head lol