Another Head Gaskett Question
 

I have an 87 Turbo. Just got it. And I've been trying to give myself a crash course on the head gasket issue. My car has 70K miles on it and is in great condition. Currently there is nothing wrong with the head gasket. But, I know I need to do something. I read that (in lieu of replacing it) I might be able to just have the heads properly torqued and that might eliminate the risk of blowing it. So, does anybody know if this is a reliable alternative to replacing a HG?
Thanks...

It's something of a gamble. There are a few reasons why it could go bad: uneven torque and cracking jacket rings being the main concern. But it all really boils down to the fact that if you do torque it down further and it blows you'll never know whether it was trying to increase the torque or if it was just on its way out anyway. The majority of 7Ms made it past 100K miles before the HG went South... You've probably got a little time to sleep on it. Personally, if you aren't presently equipped to do the full job and replace the HG, I'd leave it alone and work on getting to the point where you'll just be able to do the whole thing. If you have the means to do the whole job but just not the motivation, well, go ahead and have at it... Worst case you just get forced into doing the job sooner than you'd like.

Thanks CRE. I think I will hold off until I can get the whole thing done right.