head gas kit problem

[lifesnotfair]

I think the thicker head gaskets (2mm, 2.1, etc) are thicker than stock (stock is 1.2 or something like that, not sure) because, usually, you need to PREPARE your motor for the Metal HG. By "prepare", I mean you have to get the block and head machined, you know, so the area that will "press" the gasket is "perfectly plain". I hope you could understand this, heh.

So, when doing that, it usually takes away a few thousands/hundreds of a mm, therefore, needing a thicker headgasket to make up for it, and don't raise or decrease compression. I could be wrong though, so don't listen to me.

Use ARP bolts for the head, I've heard it's well worth their value, and the stock bolts came torqued pretty weakly.