Glenn Martin wrote: >>Does anyone have any knowledge of or experience with the Copperhead gasket rings for the VW engines we use? Seems like an awful good way to make the top end seal to the best of its ability. and YES I'm working on the engine now too!<<
I use them on my Corvair engines, which have similar head gaskets from the factory. I get the impression that the factory Corvair seals are either thin steel with ridges in them to allow them to compress, or maybe even aluminum, but they are shaped to crush to conform to any irregularity of the interface between cylinder and head. I've used Copperhead gasket rings on just about every Corvair I've built, and the only exception was when I used some .020" seals, which you can't get in a Copperhead. I don't think there's anything special about the Copperhead...just a good marketing name, but you knew that already. But to answer your question, I wouldn't hesitate to use them...they'll work just fine. You may want to check out my page on setting up compression ratios if you haven't already, at http://www.n56ml.com/corvair/valvejob.html , and there's a picture of the copper head gaskets about a quarter of the way down the "Phoenix 3100cc" page at http://www.n56ml.com/corvair/phoenix/ . I just finished laying a pretty nice paint job on the rear bumper of my GTI. I got the bumper off ebay for a fraction of what VW wants a new one for, but the paint cost another $75 from the local DuPont store. My son let the GTI roll down the hill into a tree, but I was quite happy that the tree stopped it from going further down the hill into my neighbor's living room! It's good to practice painting every year or two (like welding), especially when it turns out nice. I'll put it on tomorrow, and road test it on Monday on the way to Jacksonville... Mark Langford ML at N56ML.com website at http://www.N56ML.com --------------------------------------------------------
