Brickers:

So I was having a chat with my indy guy the other day and he mentioned something I thought might be of interest to folks on this board about 1992 heads/head gaskets. Whether this is common knowledge I don't know, but I figured it worth posting to the forum either way.

The last three times I have gone to see him he has been replacing head gaskets on 1992 700s. Generally they come in for something else, and he invariably discovers oily coolant that requires he call the owner and add the car to his queue for the days work (not a fun surprise to get I would imagine, especially when trying to plan your day). This last time I went in he remarked on this fact, and he further elaborated by stating that he has been doing a HUGE number of head gaskets on 1992 700s lately.

From what he has garnered from the guy who reworks his heads and his own analysis it seems the 1992 heads have some type of problem, and that they are physically different than the earlier heads. His metal guy told him that the alum heads in the 92s are harder than other alum 700 heads. In fact, he actually has to cut the 1992 head slowly three times to avoid ruining it when he reworks it. Additionally, when he looked at the head itself it seemed like the metal had changed slightly do to the heat, and that it was less pure or more inconsistent in texture than the other heads.

So if you own a 1992 700 with the original head/head gasket you might want to keep an eye on the coolant for oil and oilfor coolant. If you are thinking of picking up a used 700 you might want to find out whether it's head has been rebuilt before you buy.

good luck,
rt

P.S. I wrote 1993 previously when, in fact, I probably should have written 1992. I've since changed it in the post. Read my replies below for clarification on the mistake.