KHK head gasket material + torque on head bolts

[Coolbreeze]

My KHK head has been patched after puking a spark plug - along with the KD insert. Now, I need to re-affix the heads to the cylinders. It has been 48 years since I last did this; so, some suggestions would be appreciated. A club member suggests using aluminum paint with most of the carrier removed. Unfortunately, the paint stores in Illinois no longer carry the old-fashioned aluminum paint. One store owner said I could make my own by mixing aluminum powder with banana oil; however, I doubt if I can do a credible job of creating my own paint. In the '60s, I used some sort of thick liquid with copper or brass flakes in it -- I do not remember the name.

Any thoughts on what is best to use? I presume the head bolt holes should be protected so the gasket material does not get on the threads, right?

Finally, is the correct torque rating for the head bolts 55 ft.lb?

[Chris Haynes]

Copper Cote sealer?

[vph-d]

H-D dealers can still get factory heat resistant silver paint. I bought a can last fall. They had to order it for me, and it was pricey, @$23.00.
VPH-D

[Coolbreeze]

My local Harley dealer recommended a red high temperature silicone sealant made by Permatex. Back in the '60s, I didn't worry about this stuff that much. I just blundered through and usually didn't screw things up that badly.
I'm beginning to think that there are quite a few products out there that will do the job. It is just a bit confusing to decide which way to go.....

[Sidehacker]

I've used both the copper seal and the silver heat paint on my 55 KHK. I had no problems with the silver heat paint, and it was much easier to apply. It was a little more difficult to get the copper sealer to be uniform throughout . And the excess squishes out, but the paint was easy quick and never blew out the whole time I ran it .
FNA

[larry]

I used no sealer on a '53 K and no problems.

[Coolbreeze]

I ended up using aluminum/chrome paint from Sears. I bought a pint and let it sit for a few months so the solids could settle. I used a syringe to suction off over half of the oil that was on top of the solids. It took ~ 1/2 hour of stirring to get the solids thoroughly mixed. I painted both surfaces with the remaining slick solution. After 20 minutes or so, it was a bit tacky. At that point, I put on the heads.

Now, all I have to do is fire it up and find out if this approach worked....