Reinforced head gasket Ford Falcon Territory 4.0 Barra 156 182 190 195

The Ford engines covered

The 4.0 litre Barra petrol straight-six, with double overhead camshafts, powers the Ford Falcon, Fairmont, Fairlane and Territory from 2002 to 2016. This page covers the naturally aspirated Barra 156, 182, 190 and 195 versions.

Ford Australia lists the original gasket as BA6051A, common to all 4.0 litre double overhead camshaft engines. The manufacturer publishes neither its bore, nor its construction, nor its thickness. It is sized for the standard combustion pressure; as soon as that rises, the clamping load fades, the head lifts and coolant seeps into a cylinder.

Reinforced cylinder head gaskets

Sealing does not rest on the gasket alone: the fasteners clamping the head to the block contribute as much. The stainless steel rings of a Cut Ring keep their shape after every combustion. On a Barra, 14 mm diameter studs limit head movement and leaks.

This page presents the part number from Athena, an Italian maker of racing gaskets, in one construction only: the Cut Ring, a multilayer gasket with cut stainless steel rings. Its bore is 93.8 mm and its thickness 1.00 mm. As a rule, the gasket bore must exceed that of the cylinders by at least 0.5 mm. It is sold individually: a single gasket fits one engine.

Technical specifications

A gasket's volume is the space it leaves free above each cylinder. That space joins the combustion chamber and lowers the compression ratio; only gaskets of the same bore can be compared. Here, the bore offered is 93.8 mm.

Preparation and fitting

Before fitting, check the flatness of the head and block with a straightedge, and have them resurfaced if needed. Athena supplies this gasket ready to fit: apply no sealing paste. No modification of the head or block is needed.

Technical guide

The construction offered

Choosing bore and thickness

Gasket bore. The Athena Cut Ring exists in 93.8 mm (330128R), with no other bore.

Thickness. The manufacturer supplies no thickness for the original gasket. No value is released for the Barra. A thicker gasket enlarges the combustion chamber and lowers the compression ratio; a thinner one reduces it and raises the ratio.

With no known original thickness, use a dial gauge to read how far the pistons rise above the block face, especially if the removed gasket is thicker than 1.00 mm: that figure gives the clearance left between piston and head. On the Barra, the measurement is made with a dial gauge, head removed.

The brand

Athena S.p.A. is an Italian maker of gaskets and engine components, established in Alonte, in Veneto, where its head office and main plant stand. It also has sites in Spain, the United States, Brazil and India. Several carmakers fit its multilayer gaskets on the assembly line, and its entire racing range is designed and built in Italy. Part number 330128R is the one on this page.

Advantages over the original gasket

When a reinforced gasket becomes necessary

• Adding forced induction, or raising boost on an already turbocharged engine
• Cylinder rebored beyond what the 93.8 mm bore of the gasket offered covers
• Looking for a compression ratio different from standard, higher or lower
• Engine that has already lost its gasket, or is consuming coolant
• Competition use, where the gasket goes through repeated temperature rises

Vehicle compatibility

OEM part number: BA6051A, among others.

Important: the part number on this page suits the Barra 156, 182, 190 and 195 engines: check the engine code of your Falcon or Territory before ordering. The gasket's stud holes are 14 mm instead of the original 12 mm: plan for larger-diameter studs.

Why switch to a reinforced gasket?

When the original gasket is no longer enough, the reinforced gasket takes over: under higher combustion pressure it keeps its shape instead of being crushed. Barra engines find here a gasket with a 93.8 mm bore.

Turbo, supercharger or a raised compression ratio: the head gasket is the first part stressed, the weak point of the top end. A reinforced gasket prevents the leak, and the head removal that goes with it costs well above the gasket. This holds for the Falcon and Territory as for any hard-driven engine.