Don Terrill’s Speed-Talk

Got a little Fontana midget speedway engine in, head needs resurfacing, if possible I want to switch to MLS head gasket instead of copper.

Does anyone know if they're available for these engines?

Head is like SB2.2 valve layout, but non cross flow.

I ran Gaerte blocks but I believe the Fontana is basically a Chevy II. The original head back in the late 70's/early 80's was Australian, I remember Bud Meyer building one with a Chevy II block and setting a few records in boat racing.

Is it like this one? If so, this should work, depending on what thickness you need, as it's MLS. If it's the right design, I'm sure you could ask Cometic if they have anything other than .040"

https://www.cometic.com/i-24768689-gm-r ... -each.html

BlitzA64 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 08, 2019 10:34 am I ran Gaerte blocks but I believe the Fontana is basically a Chevy II. The original head back in the late 70's/early 80's was Australian, I remember Bud Meyer building one with a Chevy II block and setting a few records in boat racing.

Turns out I actually know the guy that did the port design for the heads.

midnightbluS10 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 08, 2019 4:02 pm Is it like this one? If so, this should work, depending on what thickness you need, as it's MLS. If it's the right design, I'm sure you could ask Cometic if they have anything other than .040"

https://www.cometic.com/i-24768689-gm-r ... -each.html

Nope, not that one!

Mr. Duggan? Of Arias/Duggan? I worked at Arias during that whole program and then Arias sold it to Joe Fontana, by then they all aluminum blocks.

Is it the 'Tasmanian Devil' or whatever that engine is that they developed that's based on the Chevy II engine?

cylinder head

https://www.hotrod.com/articles/0808sr-tasmanian-devil/

midnightbluS10 wrote: ↑Sat Nov 09, 2019 1:11 am Is it the 'Tasmanian Devil' or whatever that engine is that they developed that's based on the Chevy II engine?

cylinder head

https://www.hotrod.com/articles/0808sr-tasmanian-devil/

Yep, that's the one!

Not having much luck with this.

This particular engine runs the Fontana head, the bolt pattern is neither chev nor Windsor, looks like it's chevy 2 bolt pattern.
Mls head gaskets for a chevy 2 with 4.06" bore seem to be thin on the ground....

Is there anything that matches the bore & spacing & has at least a few of the headbolts line up?
After the important stuff, fire rings & what positions them, everything else is low stress/tech & can be pretty easily modified.
Sorry. Good luck.