Adrianb Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 Hi, before you all go what's he on about its simple! I'm doing this renovation with a severe sight imparement so there's a lot off touchy freely stuff helping me do this! The new gasket has two sides one top one bottom but which is top! I notice on one side the rings around the piston holes have a metal surround which is joined between them! On the other side they are not so metal surround up or down please! Many thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobPearce Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 Gives a new meaning to "fitting it blind"? 😃 First thing to beware of is that there are two, quite incompatible, head gaskets for the 1300 engine, depending on age. Early engines have a flat block and take a flat block gasket. Later engines have a recess around the cylinders and need the later gasket with the steel "fire rings". It sounds like you have that later gasket, and the slightly raised metal rings you've spotted are the fire rings. If so, there should be a tab on one end of the gasket. This should be fitted at the rear of the engine, which, in combination with the left-right orientation for the pushrods, will determine which way up. The metal rings should go down, into the block recesses. If you have a flat block engine, you need the flat gasket without the tab, and it doesn't really matter much which way up it goes. The only asymmetric bit on those engines is the oil feed in the rear left corner, and the gasket normally has a matching hole in the front left which serves no purpose other than making it not matter which way up you fit it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrianb Posted August 11, 2020 Author Share Posted August 11, 2020 I have inspected the block and can not feel any recess so I presume they would be quite distinct! Would this engine number give an extra clue GE27854HE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobPearce Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 I think the recess was introduced later - perhaps 1973? - on MkIV Spitfires and Toledos. All Heralds should, I think, have the flat block. The gasket you need for that is a GEG374. What have you got? If you had a recessed block it's about 30 thou recess - 0.75mm - quite visible and definitely feelable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrianb Posted August 11, 2020 Author Share Posted August 11, 2020 It's all wonderfully confusing as the block and head are apparently spitfire the gasket was ordered for me and is for herald/spitfire mkIII & mkIV 1296cc 1967-1971 The numbers were checked prior to order Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobPearce Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 If it has a GE engine number then it's a Herald block, not Spitfire. The head could be from a different engine, of course. The Herald head gasket is the same as a Mk3 or early Mk4 Spitfire. If you've been supplied with the gasket that fits that description then it should be a GEG374 and without the identifying tab. That doesn't mean it won't have a shiny ring around the bores, though, but it should be flat and smooth and roughly the same both sides. The later gaskets have a steel ring that's clearly thicker than the rest of the gasket on one side only. If your gasket is flat and smooth but the shiny ring appears wider on one side, it's probably correct and I'd say fit it with the wider side down (toward the block). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrianb Posted August 12, 2020 Author Share Posted August 12, 2020 Many thanks for your help I shall proceed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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