who sells good quality head gaskets

[Derby Rob]

hi guys,
             just got my 61 a7 through the MOT today after an engine rebuild due to various problems (see other posts). Anyway had a quick 20 minute run before i took it for the MOT and all seemed fine apart from a couple of times where i thought it seemed to miss fire/spit back ? but thought nothing of it.

            Took the bike for the test ,all ok and passed.But when riding home i got about a quarter of a mile from home when the exhaust sounded louder and i lost power,although i managed to get home on it.

           When i got home i let it cool down a bit and tried to start the bike up ,but noticed not a lot of compression !.....not good i thought only about 20 miles since a rebuild and its broke again ,so i removed the head only to find the head gasket had blown on the left hand cylinder and not too far off blowing the other one!.

          The head gasket i used was copper one side and some kind of black gasket material on the other?....As luck would have it i looked through some of my spares my father had given me (from the days when he had an A10 ) and found a spare head gasket,but this one looks like two copper gaskets with some kind of gasket material in the middle.

         So i am hoping this will be a better type of gasket and if so does anyone sell this type of gasket so i can keep a spare one.

cheers Rob


 
   
           

[Beezageezauk]

Hi Rob,

Get yourself a solid copper head gasket but make sure that you anneal it (even a new one) before you fit it.  The spare one you found is a composite gasket and I would suggest that you either kept it in the box where you found it or hang it on the shed wall.

You should be able to pick a solid one up on evil bay or from one of the regular parts suppliers.  Lightning Spares, C&D Autos, Draganfly, Burton Bike Bits, Kidderminster M/C's to name but a few.  There are plenty more.  You could even try Trade Classic Bikes at Belper close to Derby. Phone:- 01773 856287.

Good luck,

Beezageezauk

[Derby Rob]

thanks for the info Beeza

[Billybream]

Second that, use copper and also consider copper for your rocker box gaskets, they are reusable after annealing.

[Greybeard]

I had a pushrod break. I found that the new copper head gasket I'd used was protruding too far into the pushrod tunnel and rubbing on the pushrod. I ground some material from the gasket. Better check that any new gasket is accurately cut.

[bsa-bill]

Rocker box here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ebor-copper-rocker-box-base-gaskets-for-BSA-A7-and-A10-/121606768786?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item1c50540892

Head here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BSA-A10-SOLID-COPPER-CYLINDER-HEAD-GASKET-67-0255-/141587459740?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts_13&hash=item20f7452e9c

other suppliers are available of course but might give an idea for price

The Rocker box ones I have not tried, I had lots of grief with paper ones until I spotted they were not wide enough at one point (on the big flange of the rear rockers between the rear and front rockers), they seemed the same from different suppliers (probably all from the same source) so I cut my own out of gasket paper - problem solved

[Johnny J]

Sorry, bought the last rocker gaskets, mine's leaking alot, need to try these... :-)

[RichardL]

Uhhh, it takes a guy in Chicago to let you know you are, basically, just down the street from Burton Bike Bits? Actually, until I looked at the map showing where Derby is, I thought "Burton" was the owner's name.

Richard L.

[Derby Rob]

just an update.

thanks for all the replies guys,got a solid copper gasket as suggested,fitted it today but not the weather to go out .I found the hardest part of the job was getting the push rods  in place ,i had only done them before when i had the engine out on the bench and in a jig.

I managed to get the gasket locally (14 miles from me) in nottingham, TMS they are called,well worth a visit if you are in the east midlands and need parts.

thanks again guys Rob

[Derby Rob]

forgot to say it was £15 inc vat