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Headgasket Job

2K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  Jeremy@TDA 
#1 ·
I'm looking at doing a head stud job on my 6.0 and had few questions.

1. I've been told to go with Ford OEM Headgaskets, but it seems like the price is pretty damn high for Ford OEM because they come as a kit with the gaskets and head bolts. Does anyone know of anywhere I can buy just the Ford Headgaskets and pay a little less?

2. I'd like to get all the parts in advance, but the Ford dealership said they couldn't tell me whether I had 18 or 20mm dowels. My truck has a build date of 3/06 so they said it could be either. Is there anyway to tell without pulling apart the engine?

3. If I were to go to an International dealership and get the head gaskets, would they be a direct fit?

Thanks in advance
 
#3 ·
I believe the kit comes with both the stepped and straight dowels anyway.
 
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#4 ·
Sho nuff. What he ^^^ said.

Just order up the gaskets from AutoNation and be done with it. Some places will sell you just the gaskets but I don't think they are any better on price.
 
#5 ·
Save your money buy black diamond mls gaskets. The only reason people all think the need Oem is because for a while guys thought that the black onyx gasket was the cure all and it wasn't so everyone went went back to Oem and that's how this mentality started.

IMO the black diamond mls gaskets are every bit as good as Oem only difference is the silicone color. Made at the same factory. Dcf engines offers a 5 yr warranty on there reman engines and they run the black diamond gaskets with arp studs.

That's what I have in mine too. Your money so you decide
 
#6 ·
Borsky makes a good point. I wonder if the black onyx gaskets are really any better or worse than OEM.

I have read of PLENTY of scenarios of people needing new HGs after studs, regardless of what HGs used.

Ideally head studs and new HG's should be the permanent "bulletproof" fix. BUT, we all know that they still arent perfect, sometimes due to warped heads, etc. Perhaps we originally were blaming the failures on Black Onyx gaskets when in reality, its machine work, etc to blame.
 
#7 ·
The OEM also come with standpipes... Which, even if already updated, I would change out anyway just to have ones with fresh orings on them back in there.
 
#8 ·
Just to be clear make sure what you get is a multi layer steel gasket. Not a graphite type gasket. The graphite ones are responsible for the bad reputation
 
#9 ·
I'm running the Black Diamond as we'll. No issues yet. Just pulled 12k with 35" tires back from the north Georgia mountains without a single issue. They look identical to OEM's except the sealant color.
Do no confuse Black Diamond with Black Onyx. They don't make the Black Onyx anymore

Jeremy
 
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