Can I still buy a head gasket for a 1965 Atomic Four Engine?
Yes. All head gaskets are the same, no matter what year the engine is – 1948 to 1980. Locate your nearest Westerbeke/Universal dealer or distributor from the list at www.westerbeke.com and order gasket #200452. You can also order one from any auto parts dealer… the gasket is a Victor #3647G, which is the same gasket sold by Westerbeke/Universal but will probably be cheaper in price. You only need one gasket unless the cylinder head has been ground a couple of times, when you should use 2 to keep the compression low so you don’t blow the head gasket again. For a 1965 engine, use 2 head gaskets. Don’t use any gasket cement. Torque the head nuts cold with oil on the threads and on the base of the nut to 35 ft. lb. torque, starting in the centre of the head and working out to the sides. Torque to 10 ft. lb., then to 25 ft. lb., and finally to 35 ft. lb.
Good afternoon. This is a very unpleasant situation. I had something similar. Then I drove to the nearest town and ordered spare parts through duralast. They said that I would receive the details the next day, but this did not happen. I had to contact customer service https://duralast.pissedconsumer.com/customer-service.html to fix the problem because I already had to go home.
