whats involved in getting an o-ringed head

[natorious]

just pricing stuff out to see how much money i can dump into a turbo setup for the m20

what are the benifits of doing this.. what are the downsides

[riverdale21]

I haven't had the opportunity to check this fact but if the M20 is an open deck block having it o-ringed will actually help stabilize the cylinder sleaves under highboost and help create a better seal between head and block. The downside is the price and downtime of having your block and head machined to accept the rings.

[iXer]

O-ringing the M20 block is a good "insurance" to have.
Most of the M20 turbo folks in Sweden tend to rely on this when they push 300+ hp with the original engine, often in combination with an original head gasket. The combustion chamber design is prone to detonation more so than in the more modern M50 24 valve engine, it's also very difficult to hear and detect detonation on this engine according to Bäckis (a notorious M20 tuner). O-ringing is not an excuse to skimp on engine management! If you're aiming for 300+ hp you should know better.
I really can't say that there are any disadvantages, besides cost for machining. Here is Ticcos block with M42B18 pistons (he's on this forum):

[riverdale21]

Thus showing the M20 in fact has a closed deck block. I'm used to messing around with little imports.

[skat 325is]

Heres my o-ringed head, cost me like $75.

[bender]

what size oring and what type of rubber is that?

sounds interesting... looks like a good DIY project :shock:

[808BMW]

Directly from Andreas, swedish m20 turbo master:

Stock head gasket without "oringed" will hold to ~ 300-350hp

And with "oringed" block it holds to 600 hp.

Change to ARP bolts, then it holds for more then with stock bolts.

[riverdale21]

You wouldn't want to use rubber in a cylinder head. Most tuners use copper rings.

[skat 325is]

I dont think rubber o-rings will do anything but get squashed when u torque down the head to the block or melt away with the head.

[bender]

thats what i was thinking

unless its some crazy space age junk...

so i guess when they say o-ring they head.. they mean copper?

sorry if this is a retarded question.

[89325iturbo]

You don't o-ring with copper, you o-ring with stainless steel wire.

[NC325iC]

how do i go about o ringing
take it to a shop or what