Tell me,

[grey]

what is the compressed thickness of head gaskets bought from parts stores? Which are thicker? Any brand better than others?

Has anyone examined a (b6) piston removed from the engine? I want to know how much can be ground away to provide valve clearance.

thanks

[perucho]

As far as I know all Mazda B-series engines are non-interference engines, so you don't need to worry about piston-to-valve clearance. Any regular autoparts store headgasket should work.

[mechanicaldj]

unless you have shaved too much off of the head and/or block

[grey]

I will have to shave a b6 head to the limit OR use a B3 head.

I assume the B3 head will have the valves in a different location making an interference...I dont know, but that seems logical. I think it would be wise to grind the reliefs a bit, but I have been wrong before!!!

[mechanicaldj]

the B6 and B3 engines are non-interference engines and very similarly built

[grey]

I am sorry, I did not specify what I am doing....

I have a B6 engine with warped head, I am considering putting a B3 head on it.

[MONSOON]

Yeah let us know how that works for you.