fire rings and head gaskets

[eyoung429]

Mornin' all,
Does anyone have a source for firerings for the 5.9 and what head gaskets do you use with them? I also need to know the depth of the cut and installed height of the rings themselves.

Thanks!

[Begle1]

From what I've heard, firerings are the ones that are cut into the block and the head.

Are those what you're talking about, or do you mean the head-only O-rings?

[eyoung429]

got a little surprise coming for next summer and I want to prep a block to handle 50+ psi.

[ford69557ci]

i thought fire rings were a different process than o rings who make a copped head gasket for cummins i know on my s 10 thats the only way to keep the heads sealed

[rbrettctd]

For just 50+ oringing should be good. How much over 50 are you considering?

[eyoung429]

[bgilbert]

www.haisleymachine.com for firerings and firering headgasket. The headgasket used with fire rings is a Cummins headgasket be it stock, .010, or .020 with the stock firerings waterjetted or cut out if I'm describing it correctly. They would be able to tell you how deep to cut the grooves.

[eyoung429]

Excellent!! Just got off the lathe with a nice big chunk of aluminum that is 6in tall and has a .035 ridge @ .25 thick that fits like a glove in the cylinder bore. drilled through the plug and mounted a bearing plate on the base and put a through bearing retainer up top.

Ran a shaft of ?? (had it lying in a bitbox) that was 12.5in tall fit the bearings like a glove.

welded a piece of flat 1/4 steel that is 12in long by 5in wide with the shaft 1.5in from one end and has an oval hole that is 6in x 1/2 in stopping 1.5in from opposite end where shaft is welded.

marked off 1/16in increments in metal outside of oval cut

made a clamp mount for my $15 dentist drill shaft

will try to finish up this weekend but by the time I am done, I ain't gonna pay someone to do my o'ringin for me. May take me a little bit longer as I will have to mic the depth as I go along but it's worth it to me.

best part is, there is no play in the bore (heck, I have about 13ft of rolled stock left and can make them .010 over in incrementals for pretty much any bore)

And, I don't have to dissasemble the entire engine....just tape off where I am not working and can even do it in chassis.


will take pics later as I can't find my darn camera....son borrowed it for school project and now doesn't remember where he left it.
Will bring the rig to SOP next yr if I can make it.

[Begle1]

So all of that means that you have the capability to put the gouges in your block and head?

Want to do mine to?

[eyoung429]

I will be making a jig for the heads as well. Using the inj hole as the guide lock.

[roxxx]

Are you serious!!! get a machine shop to do your fire rings AND a good one!! or practice on someone else's lol nope not mine. If you are boosting up to the 50 psi and on you will blow you head gasket if you do not get it right plus mess your block up. I hope you are just messing with the board. Good luck

[eyoung429]

Well, considering I have a degree in mech. engineering and have built every engine I have ever run, I have enough faith and tooling that I can pretty much do whatever I need to do to my own stuff. I still have all of my fingers, excellent hearing and dang good eyesight so I must be doing something right.

It doesn't take rocket science to do your own work, just precision and seeing how anyone who has ever done any mods to an engine had to "do it the first time to see what it does" applies here as well.

I have already been in touch with several manufacturer's and ordered different sets of rings and gaskets, just waiting for them to come in and do a lot of measureing and a little bit 'o cuttin.

Just calm down Roxxx, I promise that I won't tear into your rig to test. I have a little stash of blocks that have already been windowed or had the KDP trash them, this and a few heads that are either cracked or had severe damage (aka...valve drop, excessive heat, turbo schrapnel) for my test subjects.

I also have 2 mills that I am building, one will be a mild motor w/only 40 psi boost and the other that will be above 50psi when done.

You think that discovering how much you can mod the VE came up overnight and by accident?? Nope, this was done intentionally and by LEARNING what can and can't be done. I have found out the very same way by practice over 20yrs on gassers, NA, blown, and Nitrous.

[Fnschlaud4620]

I say that is awesome! I wish I had the level of machining knowledge to do that. I even have mills and CNC equipment to my access, just not the expirence needed. Once you have it down to a science and some good results I would like to rent it from you

[Begle1]

So how long before you'll be confident enough to do my head?