SOLID COPPER & BI-METAL HEAD GASKETS
A range of solid copper & bi-metal head gaskets is now available.  Each one is specially made for your engine, so alterations for special applications (larger bores, off-set oil ways or bores etc) are no problem.

A solid copper head gasket can be used:

• As a "stand-alone" road or race gasket for high boost & nitrous applications where standard gaskets have failed.  Copper is unlikely to  "blow-out" and as a near perfect heat conductor will take heat away from the combustion area.  "Ferriday Sealing Rings" (FSR, Patent applied for) seal the combustion area with no need for wire rings or any machining to the block or head.  The FSR system has already succeeded where other gasket types have failed - can be found in Danny Kirk's 11.1 second Cosworth Sapphire 4x4, & Mick Rogers' 10.5 second Cosworth Cortina.  Modern sealants prevent coolant loss, with the option of using micro-thin copper or rubber "O" rings around oil galleries.  Our software will calculate the effect that each different thickness of copper gasket will have on your compression ratio.

• For older vehicles & motorbikes where original gaskets are unavailable, or when engine modifications make the original gasket unsuitable.

• Solid copper head gaskets can often be re-used.

There are various ways of creating a suitable sealing system for a solid copper head gasket.  The 3 most common ways are -

1- Ferriday Sealing Rings (Patent applied for) are currently in stock to suit 28 different bore sizes, from 41mm to 101mm.  More sizes inc. special shapes (e.g. for side-valve engines) can be made to order, special "siamesed" rings for cylinders 2 & 3 of the Austin Rover "A" Series engine are also in stock. 

2 - Double Sealing Rings.  We have recently been experimenting with "double" sealing methods, using FSR's as well as wire ring grooves.  This creates a "labyrinth" type seal, we have achieved excellent results at over 250bhp per litre.  Please call for more information.

3- Wired Block, sometimes with Receiver Grooves - A more aggressive sealing method is to machine a groove into the top of the block and inlay some wire that protrudes to "bite" into the copper gasket.  If a "receiver" groove is machined into the head the wire will push the copper into the head groove - this is very aggressive & very effective.  I'd be happy to advise further, and can help with all machining processes.

(If none of these are feasible for your engine design please look at our Bi-Metal gaskets further down this page).

Starting price for a 4 cyl gasket is £89.00 in 0.6mm thick, or £116.00 in 1.6mm, available individually within a few days - other thicknesses are 0.9mm & 1.2mm.  As a stand-alone head gasket thickness should be a maximum of 1.6mm - much over this & it becomes more of a thick metal plate and less of a gasket.

Changing the thickness of your head gasket will alter the compression ratio to some degree.  I'd be happy to calculate this for you as long as you can supply the following information - bore, stroke, current CR, original gasket thickness, and the diameter of the gasket "fire-ring".

Click here for a full list of all gaskets currently held on file.   New files can be created quickly from an existing gasket.  Please e-mail mike@ferriday.co.uk if you'd like to receive some info on copper gaskets and/or decompression plates.  All of these gaskets are available in solid copper, or to the new bi-metal specification (see below).

Although a solid copper head gasket should be regarded as a "hard-core" competition component, a lot of customers use these on their road engines.  One of the most important factors when fitting a solid copper head gasket is to ensure that both the block & head are completely flat, with a surface finish that matches or exceeds the requirement of a Multi Layer Steel gasket.  Please note that a solid copper head gasket is never the answer to a basic head gasket failure, and should only be considered when the original gasket is no longer suitable.  As a solution to a strength problem the solid copper version can be almost unbeatable providing the utmost care is taken during engine machining & preparation.

If you're undertaking a turbo engine build and are struggling to get the compression ratio down to an acceptable level, or are unhappy with your combustion chamber design, you may consider having the combustion chambers CNC machined.  More details on the CNC Combustion Chambers page.

Bi-Metal head gaskets are now available - a completely new 0.6mm or 1.0mm thick bi-metal head gasket that does not require any block or head machining, annealing or pre-treatment.  These are especially suitable for engines with little space between cylinders, or irregular fire-ring shapes - currently proving very successful in testing.  The gasket is treated with a soft, high temperature conformal coating, and pressurised oil-ways can fitted with a separate rubber o-ring wherever possible.  Average price for a 4 cylinder gasket will be between £158.00 & £177.00 depending on size, but as with all jobs, an exact price can be given once all details are known.  Please call for more details.  Trade enquiries are welcomed, confidentiality is assured.  As with Solid Copper head gaskets the most important aspect when fitting a Bi-Metal gasket is to ensure that both surfaces are completely flat (i.e. freshly machined), with a surface finish that matches or exceeds the requirement of a Multi Layer Steel gasket.  Some of these items can be ordered online - here.

All materials & tooling used in the manufacture of these products come from ISO9001/9002 suppliers, and all Ferriday Engineering products are made entirely in-house using current-technology CNC machinery.

OTHER COPPER GASKETS
Other copper gaskets can be made from basic line drawings, e.g., special down-pipe or turbo joints etc.  Trade enquiries are most welcome & will be treated with complete confidentiality.  More details & prices on the CNC Machining page.

 

If you've got a Cosworth with a block machined for Coopers rings, we can supply a solid aluminium replacement for the fibre gasket "carcass".  These are 0.038" thick, made from 5251 Aluminium sheet, and provide more rigidity than the soft fibre carcass.  More details & prices on the CNC Machining page.