QUOTE(avidfanjpl @ Aug 16 2010, 10:42 AM)
Sort of on topic............Zach, why no gaskets? What do you do that permits the discarding of cylinder gaskets?
Welcome to 914world Can-of-Worms 35. :-)
In days of yonder lore, VW released a tech paper stating that T4 head gaskets in buses caused head leaks, and should not be used. Instead, the head should be placed directly on the cylinders.
Now, like many of the other 914 Can-of-Worms, different folks take different sides of this issue, and it can become heated between team gasket and team no-gasket.
Basically, you want to make sure that your cylinders are the exact same height, and sit at perfect right angles to the case. And you need to be sure that your case is correct and not warped around the cylinder registers. Some say that as long as you do the prep work, you get a better, longer lasting head seal w/o the gaskets.
Of course, some say that not using head gaskets is the fastest way to an engine killing head leak.
Personally, I did not use them, and it seems to be working out well for me. YMMV.
Zach