74 power wagon dream truck...

Actually the 8553's I was thinking that they would be a little thicker and lower the compression...
It certainly wasn't thinking they would be a weak link...
You are correct, they would help lower the compression a little. I've never lost a 8553 head gasket, but I like them on stuff under 180 psi cyl pressure. I have them on half my small blocks now, but most my stuff is nowhere near even 180 psi