I am changing the gaskets on the VG33E with 150K miles on it. I was not able to get a good measurement on the flatness of the head, because I am was not able to remove the old baked-on gasket from the surface of the heads. I took them to a machine shop to have the heads milled just enough to clean the surface and make them flat. Turns out, it required 0.010" to get them flat. Technically, that is more than the suggested combined amount of 0.008" the FSM says you can mill the heads AND deck the block (if necessary).
Has anyone ever run into this? The FSM would suggest that I cannot reuse these heads. Anyone else run into this? Is anyone milling heads that far and still using them?
Yeah, agreed. I was a bit worried about slightly retarded cam timing.
I have been looking for a long time for an "aftermarket" head gasket. Not a Fel-Pro or any of that junk...a real aftermarket/performance HG. I had no such luck until today. I found a company called Acadiana Sports Car Orphanage that sells a 1.2mm (thickness after install) MLS HG for the VG33 engine (Z32 300ZX).
I can't find any information on OEM head gasket thickness to know if the 1.2mm will work yet, but I'm hopeful. Fel-Pro suggests their HG is 1.3mm thick (manufactured, not installed), so it's possible that the installed thickness is about 1.0mm after installed and compressed and this would be perfect for a .010" milled head surface.
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