Is the stock head gasket good enough to hold a lot of boost?
Yes. I have personally used the stock head gasket to up to 18 psi and well over 300 hp at the wheels. If it does become a problem, it is likely that the surfaces (head or block) aren’t straight, or the torque procedure for tightening down the head is improper. One good reason to run a copper head gasket would be if you bore out the engine a significant amount. If this is the case, and you run a copper head gasket, I’d suggest that you O-ring the block with SS rings for better sealing. Copper head gaskets like to leak w/o them.
