Help! Have a leak after rebuild!

Rooster34

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Hey there guys hope all is well! So as some of you know I started a rebuild on my 1965 ply.outh fury with the 318 poly heads. I got the engine and components all back in the engine bay and bolted up. I filled the refurbished radiator up with coolant and everything seemed good, had a small leak around one of the reducers I had to put in the water pump and the thermostat housing. While I was putting the spark plugs in I noticed a drop coming from around the header near the fire wall. I did some further investigation and found another small leak. From.what I can see it looks Ike its coming from the bottom of the head and the block mating surface. When installing the heads we sprayed the fel-pro head gaskets with permatex copper spray a gasket high temp sealant, let tack up for about 10 min and installed and torqued heads to spec.im hoping I do not need to replace that gasket, but it seems as though it may be leaning that way. Any advice or anything that it may be leaking from some where else would be great. I did check top end and places around the bottom side of head and it all seems to be dry and not running down from some where else. Ive attached a photo. Any advice is greatly appreciated. I just want to get her running before the snow starts the fly.

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Did you use the modern composite gaskets or the traditional steel shim gaskets on the heads?

Dave
 
Things look extremely clean! I sure hope you don't have to take that head off. Sounds an looks as if you haven't done your break in yet? Seeing that leak would dissuade me to turn the key too, however, a good heat up could be all it needs?
 
Things look extremely clean! I sure hope you don't have to take that head off. Sounds an looks as if you haven't done your break in yet? Seeing that leak would dissuade me to turn the key too, however, a good heat up could be all it needs?
Thank you and yes I have been hesitant to turn the key as well as well but was thinking a heat up may help. I used the fel-pro blue stripe gaskets with the copper gasket sealant.

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Say's he used fel-pros.

The older Fel-Pro gaskets, '50s-'70's, were the steel shim style, the modern blue ones are a silicone composite. Copper Cote is used to seal steel head gaskets. Modern head gaskets are self sealing and should never have any sealer applied, that defeats the purpose of these gaskets being self sealing.

Dave
 
The older Fel-Pro gaskets, '50s-'70's, were the steel shim style, the modern ones are a silicone composite. Copper Cote is used to seal steel head gaskets. Modern head gaskets are self sealing and should never have any sealer applied, that defeats the purpose of these gaskets being self sealing.

Dave
****... I was reading about that. My father inaw help and has built a lot of chevey engines in the day and I'm not sure if he knew that was or wasn't not supposed to be used..the driver side head is good and doesn't leak so far.
 
****... I was reading about that. My father inaw help and has built a lot of chevey engines in the day and I'm not sure if he knew that was or wasn't not supposed to be used..the driver side head is good and doesn't leak so far.

You will want to replace them both as they will not seal properly with the Copper-Cote on them.

Dave
 
The older Fel-Pro gaskets, '50s-'70's, were the steel shim style, the modern blue ones are a silicone composite. Copper Cote is used to seal steel head gaskets. Modern head gaskets are self sealing and should never have any sealer applied, that defeats the purpose of these gaskets being self sealing.

Dave
I can give you the part number of the engine gasket kit.
 
With LA heads, the outside exhaust manifold studs bottom in the cooling jacket and need sealant. On the keep it simple side, did you happen to check a factory shop manual to see if any of the poly head exhaust manifold studs or bolts need sealant for the same reason? If sealant should have been applied but wasn't, that exhaust manifold leak is a good way to mimic a head gasket leak.
 
You will want to replace them both as they will not seal properly with the Copper-Cote on them.

Dave

Well that sucks! I thought the "copper cote" was part of the actual gasket, I'm not really familiar with fel pro's, used their intake manifold gaskets once, due to necessity. It sure does look like a solid copper layer. Being a sprayed on product, is there a chance it could burn off once warmed up? Though leaking with no pressure is definitely not a good sign, and it would be a shame to make a mess of such a clean engine in the process, which may not yeild results.
 
With LA heads, the outside exhaust manifold studs bottom in the cooling jacket and need sealant. On the keep it simple side, did you happen to check a factory shop manual to see if any of the poly head exhaust manifold studs or bolts need sealant for the same reason? If sealant should have been applied but wasn't, that exhaust manifold leak is a good way to mimic a head gasket leak.
With LA heads, the outside exhaust manifold studs bottom in the cooling jacket and need sealant. On the keep it simple side, did you happen to check a factory shop manual to see if any of the poly head exhaust manifold studs or bolts need sealant for the same reason? If sealant should have been applied but wasn't, that exhaust manifold leak is a good way to mimic a head gasket leak.
I can check!
 
Well that sucks! I thought the "copper cote" was part of the actual gasket, I'm not really familiar with fel pro's, used their intake manifold gaskets once, due to necessity. It sure does look like a solid copper layer. Being a sprayed on product, is there a chance it could burn off once warmed up? Though leaking with no pressure is definitely not a good sign, and it would be a shame to make a mess of such a clean engine in the process, which may not yeild results.
Ots like damned if you do and damned if you don't.
 
So, I did a pressure test to see if I could barrow down where the leak was coming from, determined it was not the header gasket. Decided to remove the header and when I removed the second bottom bolt work from the front of engine, coolant pissed out everywhere. Any ideas?
 
So I found the problem. My bolts for my TTI headers go through the water jacket, TTI header come with Stainless steel bolts, and I didnt seal them with a sealer. This is my first rebuild so definitely still learning
 
So I found the problem. My bolts for my TTI headers go through the water jacket, TTI header come with Stainless steel bolts, and I didnt seal them with a sealer. This is my first rebuild so definitely still learning

Mighty fine! I was thinking it was the exhaust manifold stud / bolt with no sealer. My '66 440 has the same situation with studs into the water jacket.
 
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