Hi guys,
I have a 1992 R32 GTST, RB20DET. 130,XXX kms.
Short story is im about to refit the head, and am curious to the pros/cons of a cometic metal head gasket, what thickness gasket i should run (1.3,1.8mm etc), and benefits of arp studs as opposed to standard head bolts.
Bear with me as i give you more info than is possibly necessary -
Head is off due to a leak from cyl6 to water jacket - bought the car 9 days ago and I pulled the head off last night. Engine ran healthy compression across all cylinders (including 6, actually) which I was happy to see. Still has cross hatching on bores, no lips or scoring etc and ive checked for taper and out of round. Super happy with the block. Head has all clean chambers, valves vac up fine, valves guides are tight enough and it measures straight down the cam tunnels and across the bottom face also. No corrosion. Gave it a clean and can find no cracks. Block deck is straight too. Piston height at TDC is equal across all cylinders. Im happy to simply refit the head.
I have an RB25 turbocharger to fit, and will possibly upgrade again in the future. I have a turbosmart dual stage boost controller. Car has a large FMIC and a cat back exhaust which ill upgrade to turbo-back system later.
I understand that it is sometimes good to have a weak point in the setup that is sacrificial in order to prevent damage to more expensive/difficult components to replace. Is that something I should be worrying about with such a mild setup? What thickness should i be running? Im happy to just keep standard but if a slight raise in compression is safe then i wouldnt mind doing that at the same time. Is it worth spending the extra cash on ARP head studs? I only expect to run 13psi tops for T&T's and night runs (unless more is still safe) and standard boost pressure all other times.