Corteco Head Gasket Set

There are engines that are easy to seal and there are those that can be counted on to give up the ghost. Ford’s 3.8 litre V-6 was famous for blown head gaskets, but there’s a unique application that’s even tougher to seal: the Rover 3.5L V-8 that powers everything from ’61 Buick Skylarks to Range Rovers. The sealing problem occurs at high mileages and usually results in combustion gases leaking into the lifter valley, blowing up its integral cover and gasket like a balloon. Cylinder to cylinder failures are also common. SSGM tested Corteco’s O.E.-style replacement head set on a mechanically sound high mileage 3.5 litre with a blown head gasket.

And what was the outcome? The engine is dry and tight. The key to this installation, like always, is cleanliness, surface preparation and attention to detail. Would mutilayer or coated technologies be better? Corteco offers multilayer, copper and “WhiteSeal” head gaskets, which would be preferred for their applications, but in this low volume engine, the premium O.E. style gaskets do the job well.