Blown head gasket

[RoyBatty]

Got halfway to work last night and noticed the engine went off song and lost power. The normal snarl from the IDF 40 ' s had changed their tone.
Nursed her the rest of the way to work and back home, a 45 mile trip at that point.
This morning I checked the cam timing and found it was dead on.
I then connected my differential pressure cylinder compression tester, starting with #1 at TDC, I applied 70 psi and she held 70.
Went to the next cylinder in the firing order, turned #3 to TDC and applied 70 psi, she held 0.
You will see in the video that the pressure is blasting right into #4.
Head is pulled, all is clean square and true on the block and head.
Parts are ordered.
http://youtu.be/AsrVHkphUxc

[So Cal Mark]

what caused the failure if the head and block are flat? Can you post a picture of the gasket?

[RoyBatty]

Hi Mark,
Thanks for the reply.
I spoke to Craig earlier today and have one of your super duper head gaskets on the way.
As for how it failed. I replaced this gasket about 4 years and 30,000 miles ago. Yes that mileage number is correct.
Yes I have done the timing belt since then and am getting another one for this process.
Understand, I don't baby this car. Not that I abuse it either, I just drive it to have fun and that means running the piss out of it most of the time.
As I have been tweaking and playing with it thru those miles and years, I'll admit that it's possible that I may have tweaked the timing a little too far on an occasion or two and that the jetting process on my IDF's as I set them up may have taken a toll also.
The failure of the gasket was straight thru the whole thing, metal rings and all on both cylinders 3 and 4.

Now can we talk about you letting me get a rear sway bar to test on the coupe?

[So Cal Mark]

the rear bars fit the coupe, same set up as a Spider

[djape1977]

re-torque the head gasket after first couple hundred miles

[RoyBatty]

Did that on this last one Even rechecked it on occasion. Never found any loose bolts.
The new gasket I'm getting from Allisons is not supposed to require it.

[RoyBatty]

Installed the new stacked steel shim gasket this morning along with a new timing belt and tensioner pulley as well as a new rubber elbow for the crankcase vapor/breather unit.
All told I was at it for three hours and the beast is running great again!
Sure would have been easier to install the head/intake.carb assy if one of the kids was still around. It's a bit of a wrestling match to do on your own. May need to buy a harbor freight hoist for the future for this type of thing.
Anyhow, it feels good to hear all four carb venturis snarling again.
Thanks to Mark, Csaba and Ramzi for keeping the parts we need for our Spiders available.

[70spider]

Thanks to Mark, Csaba and Ramzi for keeping the parts we need for our Spiders available.

Second that