Diesel JD
Full Access Member
Posting this on behalf of Justin.... see what you all think
Funny how these other people that have worked so hard for these gaskets, know less than me....but that's besides the point of this PM.
The Hypermax gasket discussion on OBN is getting a bit wild with speculation and what not, the point of this is to put the speculation to rest. The fire-ring gasket set they are producing for the IDI is exactly like these:
Hypermax - Product Display
It is a real fire ring, not an o-ring (please read about the differences).
That is the $500 set.
The $1200 set is another set of c-rings. Now, I previously was told by someone that I didn't know what I was talking about when I made a comment on C-rings not being reliable. Turns out I was right, Hypermax is making another go at a "redesigned" c-ring because of the massive failure percentage of the last design (same ones Eric Sutton purchased).
I would still be extremely skeptical of the c-ring kit, as I told Ron personally.
As for the fire-ring kit. It is not farfetched to run fire-wire without machining grooves, a lot of people have done it. As I told Ron, my biggest concern would be the quality of the gaskets, as Hypermax does not have a very good track record with these in the 6.0 and 7.3 PSD crowds, so I would need some sort of reassurance so I'm not buying $500 gasket sets left and right every time they blow... Hypermax needs to pick up the tab on replacing them after the first set.
The gaskets have not been built yet, they are set for production mid Feb, and open for purchase end of Feb. There will be no testing by Hypermax, as they do not have an IDI to test on, so the first sets are the R&D. I told Ron I might be in to purchase a set and throw on the shelf, but I will not R&D them, I don't have time to deal with gasket failures.
Assuming the kit is solid, my biggest concern would be that the precups are pressed in, but can/will move a little bit. My solution for this will be to get new pre-cups and weld them into the head. I will be doing this on 91DirtyDiesels engine.
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Funny how these other people that have worked so hard for these gaskets, know less than me....but that's besides the point of this PM.
The Hypermax gasket discussion on OBN is getting a bit wild with speculation and what not, the point of this is to put the speculation to rest. The fire-ring gasket set they are producing for the IDI is exactly like these:
Hypermax - Product Display
It is a real fire ring, not an o-ring (please read about the differences).
That is the $500 set.
The $1200 set is another set of c-rings. Now, I previously was told by someone that I didn't know what I was talking about when I made a comment on C-rings not being reliable. Turns out I was right, Hypermax is making another go at a "redesigned" c-ring because of the massive failure percentage of the last design (same ones Eric Sutton purchased).
I would still be extremely skeptical of the c-ring kit, as I told Ron personally.
As for the fire-ring kit. It is not farfetched to run fire-wire without machining grooves, a lot of people have done it. As I told Ron, my biggest concern would be the quality of the gaskets, as Hypermax does not have a very good track record with these in the 6.0 and 7.3 PSD crowds, so I would need some sort of reassurance so I'm not buying $500 gasket sets left and right every time they blow... Hypermax needs to pick up the tab on replacing them after the first set.
The gaskets have not been built yet, they are set for production mid Feb, and open for purchase end of Feb. There will be no testing by Hypermax, as they do not have an IDI to test on, so the first sets are the R&D. I told Ron I might be in to purchase a set and throw on the shelf, but I will not R&D them, I don't have time to deal with gasket failures.
Assuming the kit is solid, my biggest concern would be that the precups are pressed in, but can/will move a little bit. My solution for this will be to get new pre-cups and weld them into the head. I will be doing this on 91DirtyDiesels engine.
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This gasket was on the passanger side of the engine. I cavitated number 7 cylinder on the drivers side of the block. I told the shop doing the sleeve work to replace the passanger side head gasket and they told me it was not needed. I insisted. But when I picked up my rig they had not done the work I wanted. Probably felt I would be back soon with a head gasket issue and they would make more labor costs... Well it sucks to be them. I'm running Felpro head gaskets with ARP 7 inch first generation studs torqued to 110 lbs. When I installed them I torqued them all down 5 times and loosened them the same amount just like the instruction stated. I used their Molly Lube too. I did this with a spare head gasket on a spare head and block I have. I'm now boosting 11 lbs and so far after 18,000 miles I have no gasket issues. For the most part I feel the Fel Pro or Victor Reinz head gaskets with ARP studs will work well for us but.. Surface perp is paramont to a sucessful seal. Any dirt, finger prints or solvent film will cause a failure of the gasket. A surface finish and true flat surface will only help this seal to stay where it belongs. Will I spend $500.00 on the fire ring gaskets.. Probably not. I just don't feel the need at this time. Now if I installed one of my Hypermax intercoolers and started boosting to 18+ lbs.. Sure, maybe I would spend the $500.00 for a better gasket. But that would be after I knew the Fel Pros failed. Doing it this way I feel the testing will benifit everyone. Not just me. I know these engines will handle the stress of 20 + lbs of boost easily. The addition of special aftermarket head gaskets increases the likelyhood of these engine living long boosting up there. I just hope someday someone works out a roller rocker for our engines...
