head gasket

Is there after market head gasket that is better then stock. Was just wondering before I put motor back together. Pump has 390 head 3000 rpm and a holset hx35.  301motor     o

Edited by 200 allis - 15 Apr 2014 at 7:57pm

Do u think the stock gasket will be fine.

Well my crystal ball is broke down today. I would guess you can use it for a while but it will eventually leave go. What are you using now and is it blown out or are you having good luck with it? If it's working stay the course. If it ain't working doing the same thing again will most likely end up with the same results.

If you don't have the engine together I would machine the sleeves and use the wire rings and a copper gasket. This combo will put up with a lot of horsepower. The initial price of the gasket will be higher than a paper gasket, but if you re use the gasket twice you will more than recover the cost. You should get 6 - 8 uses or more from the gasket. The wire rings are cheap at about $85.00 for a minimum order of a qty. of 18. If you do this and do it correctly, you will not have head gasket issues and in the long run it will be cheaper. You could have the copper gasket and the wire rings within the next couple of weeks I would guess. If you need dimensions of the gasket, sleeve flange, or wire rings let me know.

You are thinking correctly by doing it right the first time and avoiding problems.

Have you tried the HX35 yet and if so, how does it work?

Edited by O.P.S. Heads - 15 Apr 2014 at 10:21pm

The place that makes the seal rings is Seal-Tec 630-692-0633. They are in Oswego IL. You have to tell them what you want made, they don't have application info. If you prefer, I can buy them, and sell you the 6 you need. The price has gone up some, and I try to keep the ones for a 426 that are drop on, as well as machined sleeve size. If you have the right info, you can have a size made that won't require machining the sleeve, but aren't as tough as the thicker ones requiring sleeve removal and machining. The level you're looking at, I would feel comfortable with the drop on. PM me for more details. 

I had just picked up a hx 35 was running stock turbo til I bent a rod

Don't forget too much pump timing on a 301 will kill stock rods and head gaskets too. There is a point with pump timing where no power is gained. Retard two degrees from that point.

Timing is one of those things, that if a little is better, a lot more isn't better. 32 to 34 degrees on a 301 is usually best.

160 psi.

You asked about head bolt STUDS. I know of many diesel 301's that run 100 to 110 lbs all the time with regular A-C head bolts. I know of one that used to run 140 psi boost with three turbo's that had A-C head bolts. Whatever you're thinking, studs won't fix a head gasket problem on an A-C.

40 psi with or without studs is pretty close.

Is 7th gear possible for me to run at 8500lb class

You are correct for open RPM 301. He is limited to 3,000 RPM with no cooler and a small output injection pump. The HX40 is the newer version of the H1e and would be better yet for open RPM.

The reason I'm doing more to my tractor is to beat my buddies oliver super 99 with a 6-71 detroit.

So can you run open RPM? Good to hear about the flywheel and clutch. Have you done any port work to your cylinder head? Also, can you run an intercooler? Lastly, what exhaust housing does your HX35 have on it?

As far as 7th gear @ 8500 lbs. you won't do it without a DB .450 pump. It sounds like you may have a flywheel clutch that will do the job (if it is a multi disk), but the PD clutch will have to be removed. It will slip if you ever get enough power to run 7th gear weighing that much. D19 low side PD gears will slow 7th gear down by about 8%. Still will need a bigger injection pump than your .390.

Edited by O.P.S. Heads - 18 Apr 2014 at 9:58pm