> > Blown head gaskets are probably the #1 wasserboxer
> > killers in our vans.
> > What interests me is which gaskets blow the most.
> > My guess is that the external rubber seal fails the
> > most,

 From what I hear, that is indeed the one that fails the most. Corrosion
pitting on original VW heads is the primary culprit. AMC heads are
supposedly of a better alloy that doesn't corrode as easily. The shape of
the gasket (flat) plus corrosive coolant makes it a very vulnerable point.
None of the other seals seem to fail as famously as the water jacket rubber
gasket.

> > Thus, I suggest a quick and dirty solution: Hi-temp
> > silicon sealer applied around the external head
> > sealing gasket and nearby mating head and crankcase
> > surfaces, possibly adding some kind of
> > re-enforcement
> > belt to keep it from being blown out by the coolant
> > pressure.

No good. Have a look at the shape of the head:
<http://tinyurl.com/5l8bp>
And look at the gasket that fits on it (the two at the top with the bumps
are the gaskets in question)
<http://tinyurl.com/5dvlx>

Nothing short of a specially milled metal or wood block would be able to