Hi, David-
In stock or mild states of tune, Series A
engines of any capacity are, in my experience, not prone to head gasket
failure, any more than any other car.
(Assume overheating has not taken
place!)
Having said this, there is one caveat, in
that the area between cylinders 2&3 will
sometimes slightly "sink" (block, not head;
no water jacket between these two) though I have not known this to be a
problem except in more highly "tuned"
units of any capacity running static
compression ratios beyond stock Cooper
"S" (9.75 to 1, or thereabouts) in normally
aspirated applications.
Obviously, with blowers, this area is
probably going to be where "stuff" happens, but the new Metro Turbo head
gaskets seem to have prempted problem,
along with the use of excellent fasteners
(ARP, etc.) and excellent preparation of block in this respect, prior to
installation.
There are many other listers whom I am
sure will you will most likely hear from on
this who's experiences may be different!
Stay tuned! We'll both probably "learn"
more from others in this respect.
Cap'n. Bob
'61 :{)
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