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Head Gasket- solid or composite?

Submitted by michael_coare on Wed, 09/09/2020
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Light Twins

Earlier this week, the postman delivered the 2 reproduction Wipac headlamp switches that I’d ordered for my Electra. Naturally, half an hour later in the garage stumbled over a crate marked Small Electrics, sure enough there were 3 switches there. Oh well, hopefully new is better.

A few weeks earlier, on commencing all this folly, I started looking online for a full gasket set, as the one listed on the Norvil website said less head gasket. Saw a couple of ads elsewhere claiming to be Full sets, illustration looked like no head gasket, which my email enquiries subsequently confirmed. So how can they advertise them as full sets? How the diddly doo can you rebuild an engine without a head gasket?

An email to Norvil elicited the reply they have head gaskets in stock, also a full gasket set that does include one. Result- ordered and received set + head gasket.

Today thought I’d better make a start on preparing the heads, to fit the new valves, guides, springs etc from Norvil. Went to take the valve spring compressor from its peg on the wall- there, next to it, was a carrier bag, winking at me. Hullo, don’t I have a LOAD of assorted gaskets in there? Sure enough, 3 head gaskets, still in the Halls packet as sent to me by what was then FairSpares- in 1975 (don’t ask!)

So to come to the point of this ramble: new new gasket from Norvil is solid copper, new old gasket from Fairspares is the original composite. Do I go with the original spec composite, or the solid copper (yes I know that would have to be annealed)?

Cast your votes now please.

PS sorry if this topic has been covered before, I’m still wading through the many earlier L/W forum topics. Is there any way to make these searchable?

Submitted by gordon_johnston on Wed, 09/09/2020

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I have found with solid copper ones that they are a bit prone to oil seepage. You certainly have to be sure they are properly annealed and then to re-torque then several times as you start to put miles on the bike. Composite ones do seen less fussy and generally only need one re-torquing session once fitted. 

Submitted by peter_holland1 on Wed, 09/09/2020

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At the top right of the screen on the NOC website is a search box.

I've just typed in 'Head Gasket Electra' and pressed the search button.

Lots of information from past forum material and the technical elements of this website.

I think you could do with a better search engine in the garage too by the sound of it. A new headlight switch for L/W recently bought was faulty. Used in the bike the case of the switch became live when the lights were switched on. Difficult to trace because the assumption is that a new switch must be good. Symptom - switch lights on - no lights -fuse blows (if you have one) and short circuit to earth. Nasty.

Good luck with the rebuild.

Peter

Submitted by dan_field on Thu, 17/09/2020

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Just to add to switch issue .... old switches rarely work properly either, it is possible to take them apart to clean them but extremely fiddly!

Thanks Dan, sounds like damned if I do.....

Also just a guess, but I expect Norton switched (groan!) from Lucas to Wipac to shave a few coppers off the cost, and maybe the quality suffered as a consequence? Or am I being unfair to Wipac....

 


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