My James engine kit came with some sort of blue, fiber gaskets and the S&S heads I bought came with copper ones. Which ones do you think I should use? I'm thinking the copper ones since that's what S&S seems to want me to use but what do you guys think?

 

Blue work fine in mine, cometic are probs best, nothing wrong with copper....somebody will now chime in and tell you that I am wrong...a lot of James haters out there.

 

I prefer the Cometic MLS gaskets. But nothing wrong with copper head gaskets. With copper gaskets in particular you need to have flat surfaces, so if the steel threads head bolt threads are prortuding any of the head surface isn't true and flat, that needs to be addressed. in Not a fan of the fiber gaskets.

I've used the blue ones in the past and not had problems, but there are better gaskets to use.

Paul

 

I don't know what was on there when I took it apart, though they definitely weren't copper. Some sort of fiber I assume but they were a bear to get off. They could have been glued on with who knows what though. I have a little time before I get to the heads so I'll let this one simmer for a while and see what kind of replies I get. The heads are new from S&S so I'm assuming they're flat. Thanks for chiming in.

 

I have alot of Years on the Blue ones...but I also have a Stash of the very old, probably asbestos, ones..
The Copper ones are for "special Occasions" here

 

Copper is for serious compression builds and one needs to know a bit to use them correctly. The blue work ok but I prefer Cometic if available.

 

I didn't see any special instructions to use the copper ones but I didn't open the individual boxes the heads came in yet. Maybe I'll check that this afternoon. I know copper o-rings are the thing for high pressure turbocharged engines so that makes sense.

 

IMHO. Ditch the James and go with Cometic MLS. James used to be the go to, no longer tho.

 

I really want to use one of the sets I have and not spend another $60+ for another set. I have so many extra gaskets because a bunch of them from the kits I got weren't for my bike. I already have to buy another inner and outer primary gasket. DK said all these kits would fit my bike and they didn't. I should never have bought kits. I should have looked up the Harley part #'s to put in the search and then bought them all individually. Lesson learned...

 

cometic MLS