Fast Marina Magazine

Hi fellow Marinaites . Third trip out of the garage and my Marina coupe looks to have blown a head gasket between cylinders 3 and 4. Compression tested her and very little compression .The E series being Siamese bores I suppose could be very sensitive to head gasket quality .My questions are, Is the Marina head set for a 1750 the same as a maxi, as I have seen on the net two different part numbers for maxi/marina and what is the best quality gasket available brass/copper stainless ?? There is no water in oil or vice versa so must be a blow between cylinders. Chin Chin.

Yup, would be the same although some of the auxilliary gaskets might be different if you get a head set..

Was there any difference between head gasket for the standard compression ratio 1500/1750 (8.6:1 or 8.75:1 iirc) and the HL/TC 9.5:1?

i think IMHO you will find that the 'E' series is not a Siamese bore,
a Maxi gasket will fit HOWEVER it depends on which Marina engine you have!
the early Morris types are basically a Maxi engine modified by Leyland Australia to fit
but from approx the middle of 1973 they started to change the block castings
to take the oil filter high up on the block instead of in the sump.
when they did this they also cast on the outside of the block an oil return line from the head
to the sump between cyl No 3 and 4
it is a common failure on the 1750 engine due to i think the narrowness of the block between cylinders, (not enough clamping pressure)
especially if it has sat idle for a while
if you get a VRS kit for a Maxi the only thing that is not compatible (apart from above) that i have seen so far is the exhaust flange gasket.
in the Australian 'E' series there is only the one compression ratio bar the TC model which had the higher ratio, this was achieved by
a shallower dish in the piston crown

Thanks guys, looks like any gasket will do and yes this car has sat for great lengths of time with short runs only.Will let you know how I get on

Mike?
Princess Mike? (the car, not the title! ) I've got a new gasket set here somewhere for a 1750. You coming down next weekend, bring a large trailer!!!!
Ben