Define the following: "Decking the Block"

Hi all,

My head gasket replacement continues. After the unanimous vote here I gotta get the head milled, found a guy locally that was the also unanimous suggestion of no less than five of my car buddies He charges $65 so that's reasonable enough I guess!

So Timgr said I should also "Deck the block". I have taken a slightly dulled razor to the block and now have a very clean surface. should I sand it with some really light grit paper to smooth it out?

What exactly does "deck the block" mean?

 

You have the block machined with a rotary broach or fly cutter or equivalent, take off just enough material to flatten it.

If you can find a shop that will index the block off the main bearing bores, they can also true the surface to the main bore centerline.

 

Yep.. That about sums it up, bear in mind that milling the head and decking the block will increase your compression ratio some, although with just enough to flatten it all out, it won' t be enough to concern yourself with really.. Just make sure you double check the head gasket thickness..


BUBBA