sealing · FF-0310

Why did head gaskets leak on the early ARDUN conversions?

Steve shows a stock 8BA block to make the point: there is very little area between the valve pocket and the cylinder for a gasket to seal against. The original conversion was meant to be retrofitted to a truck without machining the block, so it relied on gaskets, and they were prone to leak there.

Expert

Steve Coppock

Evidence

expert attributed

Component

head gasket sealing

Applicable scope

Ford Flathead V8 with the original ARDUN conversion; shown on an 8BA block