your problem is alot easier then it seems! your head gasket was probably fine...where you slipped up is not restricting the water coming in from the pump! it doesnt matter what pump it is! you need to balance the water pressure in your block and restrict it! the deal with running a log exhaust is the fact that it goes through the logs and yadda yadda ya...headers seem to change the came a little bit, but nothing impossible!

seems to me that would be your answers and checking water pressure in the block would be pretty important....


on another hand might be time to check the deck on the heads and block!

yeah we were talking metal gaskets and quench thickness and some fancy measurments!  i might as well just drop this motor off to you and just not half to worry about it 

Thanks for the input..  before putting the heads on, i had the block dipped and decked so 'ideally" that should be good.   My first guess was the pump pressure because it ran fine in the driveway on the hose water, the little pressure that the hose puts out...  and then once I introduced the pump, that's where the problem came in.  so that's why I think it's the pump is putting out too much pressure. 
so i feel I solved that problem, but i'm a rookie so what i am still hestitant on my fixes. 
Still tho, if you can guide me in the direction of which gasket to use, that would be awesome.  The one's that i have do have some cork material or whatever in it and you mentioned steel before.  should i run steel gasket or what's the deal with 'Marine" gaskets??

"Marine" gaskets are basically if you are running in the ocean, ie SALT water, for freshwater you can spend the extra money, but is not necessary, just my .02

Marine head gaskets are not just for salt use....Marine engines do not have the advantage of the anti corrosion protection of anti freeze. Thus making the electrolytic effects of brackish waters left in an engine most detrimental to the survival of the sealing surfaces...

I use brass freeze plugs and marine head gaskets in all boat engines. Cheap insurance IMHO...

A trait that marine gaskets also have is dielectric bonding of the sealing surfaces, this is like a good primer on bare metal on a paint job, it keeps the free iron from being exposed to the gaskets metal, which is how they function to begin with.

This has been a major debate among the boating community for decades, it is my opinion that the only time "standard" gaskets should be used is when the engine is not expected to be together for more than 6 months (read; full race deal)...

Sorry for the harsh intro, I feel strongly about this because I have taken apart literally dozens of engines that could not be salvaged because of the amount of corrosion in the sealing surfaces of the heads and block...

GT

Well put  GT....100  percent in agreement.......regular head gaskets are okay if u r/r the sht all the time

Thanks Dave,

FWIW, do not run more than about 20 PSI block pressure at WOT....You should have a gate valve off the pump and a dump line off the engine to correct the problem, done it a lot without incident...

GT

Did I hear of a problem with a Gen 6 block and mark IV style heads, and having to do something special to make them work right?
No answers, just a question.
Pete

SP,

Really, the only thing I have ever read is about the water ports being in close proximity to the gaskets edge, it can be identified by gasket checking before assembly...

Otherwise, I think block pressure came into play here, but always open to other experiences and observations...That's how we learn..

Anyone? I have not played with a Gen.VI Blowtie before...

GT

Your garden hose puts out more pressure than your jet. I have ALOT of friends who have pressure gauges in the pump and you would be real surprised how LOW the pressure actually is. As long as you don't block off the exit water , your really not gonna build too much pressure unless you are overloading the pump.

what does  that have to do with the engineering  of the block...marc...  I am talking about Block integrity/core shift /stacking  during/after machining

There is no way way your pump will ever make 150 psi!!! Think about it , it gets it's water from the suction side not the pressurized side.


And Dave , my response was not to what you said , but to the over all thread itself.

WRONG AGAIN!!!

The cooling water from a Berkeley comes from the back side of the positive pressure side of the impeller and can generate in excess of 150PSI without even trying....

The water for cooling comes from the centrifugal leftovers of the impeller....

GT

If it put out 150 psi , you would have a 15 foot stream of water coming out of the overbored dump! 

Did I hear of a problem with a Gen 6 block and mark IV style heads, and having to do something special to make them work right?
No answers, just a question.
Pete

The Gen 6 was modified by GM to correct cylinder head compatibility issues the Gen 5 blocks had.  Using the proper Gen 6 style gasket should allow MK IV heads to work without issue. 

Also, unless I am wrong a 17040 "marine" gasket is a 1047 in a different package (at least the gaskets are stamped 1047, and 1047's are noted as being "suitable for marine usage)

If it put out 150 psi , you would have a 15 foot stream of water coming out of the overbored dump!  

I am not trying to argue with you brother....with a dump line relieving, you can't build the 150 # pressures, with no dump line you will blow the freeze plugs clean out of the block and other crazy things...we ran a 3/8" dump line on the race boat and were reading 70# on the water pressure gauge, went to 1/2" and still had 40#, we ended up using a 3/8 and a 1/2" to get things settled out, this was with a 3/8" inlet restrictor....

GT