273 Charger Tear Down-Head Gaskets/Valve Seals

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nm9stheham said:
As above, I would have a skim mill on each head, or at least have them checked for flatness. who knows how warped they may be. BTW, if you use the Felpro 1008's rather than the standard Felpro 8553PT kit gaskets, you will gain almost 0.3 point in compression ratio. You will definitely feel that in the butt dyno.

The heads are closed chamber types, right?
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Stock heads I assume, yes. Here are a couple pics of the passenger side head. Condition readers opinions? #2 (1st pic) is toasty and #8 is oily!

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Mahle 55054 specs out at 4.04 bore size, smaller than their xxx55 at 4.08 and xxx56 at 4.125
 
pishta said:
Mahle 55054 specs out at 4.04 bore size, smaller than their xxx55 at 4.08 and xxx56 at 4.125
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That is good to know, Pishta. Tnx! I see they are MLS types, not the Felpro composition types, so I would not use them without making sure the head were skimmed to be sure to be flat, with a decently fine finish. And maybe some koppercoat or Hylomar just to be sure.
 
pishta said:
Mahle 55054 specs out at 4.04 bore size, smaller than their xxx55 at 4.08 and xxx56 at 4.125
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I see A MLS Trick Flow listed at 4.040 with a .040 compressed thickness. There is a "Flat Out" brand as well. Never heard of them but they might be ok. They should be for the price.
 
rustyfish said:
Stock heads I assume, yes. Here are a couple pics of the passenger side head. Condition readers opinions? #2 (1st pic) is toasty and #8 is oily!
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That tan-ish exhaust valve coloration in #2 is common and normal, and comes from additives in the fuel as I understand it. Looks like the carb was rich and put a layer of soot all over and you may find that same coloration on the other exhaust valves.

The oiling in #8 is pretty serious.... examine the cylinder bores to see if it has a lot more vertical scars/scratches than the others. just looking for clues to a possible broken ring. That looks like a lot more oiling than a valve seal would do.

The fire ring contact looks OK all around each cylinder as far as I can see.

I too would like to see the head casting numbers. Look on top for a 7 digit number cast into an intake runner.

I hope you got that coolant out of the cylinder right a way so it did not work down into the crankcase. Makes sure you clean it out of out the lower head bolts holes.
 
The original 273 gaskets were about .026 compressed and not perfectly round but it fit the 273 chambers well. The A measurement is 3.815 and the B measurement is 3.975. If the OP wants the optimum head gasket he should contact Cometic. Really not necessary though with a used engine. I used the MP composite ones (like the Mr. Gasket 1121G's) They worked fine.

273 head gasket.jpg2.jpg


stock head gasket on 920.jpg
 
nm9stheham said:
That tan-ish exhaust valve coloration in #2 is common and normal, and comes from additives in the fuel as I understand it. Looks like the carb was rich and put a layer of soot all over and you may find that same coloration on the other exhaust valves.

The oiling in #8 is pretty serious.... examine the cylinder bores to see if it has a lot more vertical scars/scratches than the others. just looking for clues to a possible broken ring. That looks like a lot more oiling than a valve seal would do.

The fire ring contact looks OK all around each cylinder as far as I can see.

I too would like to see the head casting numbers. Look on top for a 7 digit number cast into an intake runner.

I hope you got that coolant out of the cylinder right a way so it did not work down into the crankcase. Makes sure you clean it out of out the lower head bolts holes.
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Yeah, I cleaned all the bores out pretty quickly. A broken or stuck oiling ring would make some sense. Also, the heat control valve coil is unfunctional and was stuck abut 80% closed.
 
toolmanmike said:
The original 273 gaskets were about .026 compressed and not perfectly round but it fit the 273 chambers well. The A measurement is 3.815 and the B measurement is 3.975. If the OP wants the optimum head gasket he should contact Cometic. Really not necessary though with a used engine. I used the MP composite ones (like the Mr. Gasket 1121G's) They worked fine.

View attachment 1715522532

View attachment 1715522541
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Right now I'd just like it to stop burning oil and coolant on the cheap so I don't have to rebuild right away if possible.
 
rustyfish said:
Right now I'd just like it to stop burning oil and coolant on the cheap so I don't have to rebuild right away if possible.
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With the heat riser pretty much closed it directs a lot of heat through the head. You could have some cracks. That will use coolant. Using oil is just wear. The easiest would be valve seals. This project might be a "one thing leads to another" type of project.
 
toolmanmike said:
With the heat riser pretty much closed it directs a lot of heat through the head. You could have some cracks. That will use coolant. Using oil is just wear. The easiest would be valve seals. This project might be a "one thing leads to another" type of project.
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Yep
 
cc each endchamber
find out hpw many ccs / thou
then angle end fir to even out the heads
very little more worh than just swtting up flat anc cutting away
and if the heads had ever been belt sanded they could be way off
 
Alright, I've got another '65 273 (originally 2 bbl) from a Barracuda with 4bbl intake seen in pics below. It's been a while since swapping an engine. Will I need any extras to put this one into my '65 Dart 270 with 833 4 speed?
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