[urq] '85 Ur-Q getting a new head gasket

[QSHIPQ at aol.com]

In a message dated 4/12/01 3:00:03 PM Central Daylight Time, 
fundsaloracing at yahoo.com writes:

> Taint so! (sorry, that's rude) Raceware offers a tool
>  to extract the studs with the head in place allowing
>  your procedure to work just the same as with the
>  head-studs. BTDT. Very ingenious, elegantly simple and
>  easy to use. 

Yup, my customer happened to lose his.  I question the advantage of removing 
a nut and washer, then removing a stud, all to double the procedure again on 
install.  

>  
>  Only one datapoint, but, I know of an urq that had
>  multiple repeated problems with head-gaskets and
>  head-bolts. Replacement of the bolts with the Raceware
>  studs cured the problem. In the particular instance
>  where the studs were installed the gasket was OK at
>  the time. One-by-one the bolts were replaced with the
>  studs with the head and existing gasket in place.
>  Bassoon! No more head gasket or bolt problems! (so
>  far...) On failures with the studs in use, could be
>  other reasons, faulty head, faulty installation,
>  improper head/block surface preparation/flatness, etc.
>  No financial interest, just a happy customer.

I'd put forth the flatness argument first.  A bandaid for doing it right, but 
alas I've done more sneak and pray than I have R&R with machining too.  
Again, what blows head gaskets has nothing to do with the head bolts, what 
causes audi head gaskets to blow is other problems.  Can you mask those other 
problems by installing racewears. ..  In your BTDT it would appear so.  In my 
btdt it didn't, twice.

I'm just not sold on them for a street audi, especially single service life.  
If you have an extra 200USD lying around, I could think of a lot of other 
places to better spend that money to avoid blowing head gaskets.

My .02

SJ