Head Gasket Choice?

[Wildfire007]

First I'd like to say I tried searching for the answer on the forum and google and couldn't find a straight forward one.

So my cherry has been popped and I have my first 7m-gte bhg. I was going to go with an oem hg and arp studs but does anyone know if its composite or graphite? And which is superior? Going for a cheap repair and trading the car to a friend. So metal hg is not an option and cometic is a bit too high.

 

[digihonk82]

Im pretty sure the composite refers to the multiple materials used within the gasket structure because theres the fiber board and then the cylinder steel rings and then the copper coolant channels all in one gasket

 

[Grandavi]

Cheap + 7M doesnt usually work. Make sure the head and block are prepped properly or you risk losing that friend.. lol. The head gasket itself isn't as much of an issue as the actual engine prep before applying it. If the head and block are prepped correctly and the head bolts/studs are torqued correctly, the engine wont suffer from the same issue. Tons of write ups about that.

 

[suprarx7nut]

Use oem gasket from Toyota (which is a graphite composite), take the head to a machine shop, clean the block with gasket remover and a razor scraper.

If you have the ability, check the block for straightness.

Recipe for cheap, relatively good success.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

 

[CyFi6]

Use oem gasket from Toyota (which is a graphite composite), take the head to a machine shop, clean the block with gasket remover and a razor scraper.

If you have the ability, check the block for straightness.

Recipe for cheap, relatively good success.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

+1 graphite/composite refer to the same thing. Go with OEM or FelPro which is equal in quality. If you re use the stock bolts, torque to 72 ft lbs and if you use ARP hardware, torque them to the ARP specs with the ARP lube, it is critical you follow the instructions from them to a tee!

 

[Devin LeBlanc]

Yep, OEM toyota or a felpro. As long as you don't plan on going over 400WHP you will probably be fine on a properly prepped felpro HG.

 

[Wildfire007]

Thanks for the help guys. I'm trading the car to him and he knows full well the risks of the vehicle and is fine with it. I am moving cross country soon and didn't trust the old girl to make the drive, and I am looking forward to getting a 91-92 model mk3 once I'm out west. Can't wait to get my next Supra and do a 1jz-gte swap!