I ordered new gaskets for both engines. I might have been able to get by with it but I have never taken a chance on
re-using a head gasket before but thing are tight and temptation great. I am doing this for my son but I will use the boat until ha gets in a position that I can take it to him.
These are 1996 SBC engines that were previously rebuilt by Mercruiser Marine. They did a sorry job by any standards. I was in the process of building the engines and where I made my mistake was installing the pistons on the wrong side. I was paying attention to the direction the pistons were facing but failed to pay attention to the rods. The damn things were marked wrong. I flipped the second engine over and noticed the rods were offset on the wrist pins. No one has ever accused me of being smart but I know what the will do in the long run.
SO, I am going to pull the heads and change the pistons and rods facing the right way. I am sure the first engine is the same way, so I ordered 4 new head gaskets. On top of that I am having to build these engines outside and between rain storms because I have a 29 Buick torn down in my garage and can't get in it to build an engine. I have built enough engines to know better but things are complicated with the circumstances of how I am having to do this with a lot of missing parts.
I was in the hospital and my neighbor thought he was doing me a favor and had the bot towed to a local marine repair shop and had the engines pulled for me. A lot of the parts are missing. I have been searching for the intake manifold of one engine that I had pulled the heads on earlier to determine if the needed to be rebuilt or not. I finally found the intake today at the place the pulled the engines were pulled. The guy that pulled the engines had it laying to the side. He told me he thought I was going to buy new engines to install in the boat. At least he didn't deny having it. Been really sweating it because it was a Bow Tie cast iron intake and they are not cheap.
I forgot I have to order another set of intake gaskets because the manifold is already on the first engine. CRAP!!!
I appreciate all the replies. I basically wanted to find out if anyone had any success with re-using head gaskets but I. knew better before I asked. I would not have been able to bring myself to use Tham again anyway, guess I was wanting some sympathy