Engine Assembly precautions

[kobra94]

I am getting ready to assemble mt engine in the next few days. Are there any special precautions that i should take? I have heard of several different methods to ensure head gasket seal. Any tips will be appreciated. thanks, KEN

[Tony]

I guess there are alot of "precautions" you should take before final assembly. I would prefer to call them neccesities. First making absolutely sure your deck surface and heads are perfectly flat. That is a must. New block or seasoned, doesn't matter, get it decked. Then, of course, cleaning everything... and cleaning it again. Sterile is the key word here. Then closely checking clearances. And finally torqing everything down in the correct sequence. After initial break-in period, let motor cool down and retorque heads unless your gasket intructions specifically tell you not to do so...