ENGINE STUDY / BLOCK-TO-HEAD JOINT

See the gasket.
Verify the car.

The factory parts book lists one GEG373 head gasket for the Midget 1500. The virtual gasket uses an aftermarket replacement photo to place its openings. Use this page to understand the layout and capture the evidence needed for a real head project.

Inspect the 3D gasket ↗Start a head-gasket inspection plan ↗

Catalog identity

The 1977 factory Midget parts book, PDF p. 62 lists GEG373 as the cylinder-head gasket and ten stud nuts with ten washers. A current Midget 1500 replacement listing cross-references GEG373 to a recessed-bore gasket. This identifies a catalog family, not the gasket currently on the car.

Recessed bores and rear tab

Rimmer’s 1500 block catalog says all 1500 blocks have a recessed lip at the top of the bores and the matching gasket has a small tab at the rear. Check the engine stamp and observe the actual recess and gasket before ordering.

A source image beside the CAD

The diagram below is redrawn from a near-square-on Ajusa 10019300 product image. Its ten regularly placed openings are candidate stud passages, inferred from the photo and ten-stud catalog count. The remaining 21 round openings are left unclassified. The photo may not show the fitted gasket’s face or orientation.

Photo-derived Midget 1500 gasket opening mapFour bore openings, two rows of five candidate stud passages, 21 unclassified openings and a rear identification tab. Positions are estimates from a replacement gasket photo, not factory drilling data.FRONTREAR TAB →

Loading source measurements…

Four boresTen candidate stud passagesTwenty-one other openings

The replacement listing gives a 143 mm width and 365 mm overall length. The CAD scales the image to a roughly 355 mm body plus a 10 mm tab and uses 79.5 / 86.5 / 79.5 mm bore-center intervals. These are rounded photo estimates, not factory coordinates or a cutting pattern.

Prepare a head-gasket project

  1. Confirm the actual engine number and casting marks. Record any symptoms and test results before deciding the gasket is the cause; the model cannot diagnose a leak.
  2. Photograph the complete installed head from both sides. Trace and label every hose, cable, plug lead, manifold connection and bracket that would obstruct head access. Keep photos before moving anything.
  3. Find the complete workshop procedure applicable to this 1975 North American car, including fluid handling, head removal, surface checks, tightening order and values, and reassembly checks. The parts list and CAD do not supply that procedure.
  4. If the head is removed during a planned repair, photograph both faces of the fitted gasket with a ruler before cleaning. Record the rear tab, all openings and damage or staining, and keep front/rear orientation explicit.
  5. Record which two studs are longer, their actual positions and condition, and any washer or nut differences. Measure hole centers from the actual block or gasket before using them in an owner CAD build.
  6. Inspect the real deck, head face and bore recesses using the applicable factory checks. Match any replacement to the observed engine and gasket, not to this virtual silhouette alone.
What the virtual engine can and cannot answer

It now shows the head, block, gasket, ten stud cues and their photo-derived positions together. It does not know the fitted head casting, exact threads, safe removal path, surface flatness, tightening sequence, coolant/oil routing or installed gasket thickness. Inspect the candidate stud layout in 3D ↗