Scratched Deck Surface

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DDart1972

chris
Joined
Oct 26, 2009
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Southern California
So there I was, I just got my 440 block back from the machine shop and I started prepping it for the build. I deburred the casting flash and smoothed out all the rough edges with a die grinder. I then took a round file and filed all the calcium deposits out of the water jackets. While doing this, I got a little too involved with my work and slipped with the file. Luckily I was able to avoid the cylinder walls, but I accidentally put a scratch on the freshly machined deck surface of the block between the last two cylinders on the left hand side of the block. The scratch is about three inches long and I can catch it with my thumbnail.

My question is.......Does anybody think that this is a major concern with head gasket sealing or any other issue? I hate to have to have the deck resurfaced again because of cost and time. Is this something I could maybe sand smooth with some emery cloth or just leave alone? Any input is appreciated.
 
I will get some pictures of the scratch to you guys as soon as I can. Keep in mind it's just a scratch and not what I would consider a gouge, I can however catch it with my thumbnail. If it was a cylinder wall though, it would probably have to be bored. I hope that gives you an idea. Food for thought.....When I worked as a Motor Transport Diesel Mech in the Marine Corps years ago, we used to use an abrasive pad on the end of a die grinder to clean up the deck surface before installing new heads and gaskets. Just so you know I'm using a FelPro composite gasket and Stealth aluminum heads.
 
Alright, you guys asked for them so here they are. I know, I know, car **** speaks 1000 words. What would you do.....Bolt it together and not worry about it or, have the deck resurfaced again which is a safe bet, but it may be excessive and definitely costly. Any machinists out there?

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That looks minor to me, should seal well with the head gasket. One time I accidentally gouged an Opel block (remember those?) so bad I JB Weld-filled the surface where the head mated to it, bolted on the head with a stock gasket ... never had a problem!
 
I wouldnt do anything more than put a real fine smear of silicone there at the water jacket hole if anything, perma torque head gaskets would take care of it also.
 
I wouldn't worry about it unless it was going from cylinder to cylinder. I would however put down a very light smear of Permatex Aviation gasket sealer (might be Loctite Aviation now) over top of the scratch to rest easier though.

Terry
 
Thanks for all your ideas. I feel a little more confident now with all your suggestions. I think I'm going to use the Permatorque Head gaskets. They look to be a good quality product and FelPro even states that they will fill minor imperfections in the sealing suface. Anybody know what the compressed thinkness is of these gaskets? Does anybody have a good part number?
 
its usually .039 compressed thickness for the Permatorques. Look on their web site you might find it there.
 
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