Re: 1929 Johnson V-45 Head Gasket Torque Recommendations

[George Emmanuel]

Going from a "challenged" memory, I think the recommended torque is 15-18lbs. But, those heads will require continuous torqueing after several runs before you get a really good seating. The test is to look at the spark plugs after a good run and see if there is any water droplets on them. Original head gaskets were all copper with a, for lack of a better word, ring that sealed the edge of the cylinder. The new gaskets Randy had made have a copper ring with the rest of the gasket being paper. They work fine. The PO’s had a similar design in later years. If there is going to be any leakage, you’d want it to go to the outside, not into the clinder bore. If you’ve sanded your heads on a flat block you should get a good fit. So torque, run, torque, run and inspect, then repeat if necessary.