Quote Originally Posted by Fastmax32168 View Post
The car drives fine on 93
octane I Just need to take about 5 degrees of timing out of it, and that costs quite a bit of power. I am sure it is still over the 400 RWHP mark, so in a 3000 lb package, its not boring. Going to a thicker head gasket would change the quench area for the worst, I am doubtful it would be enough, or do any good. It could easily change the detonation issue for the worse.
it actually sounds like a good tuning challenge to me. you might be surprised what you can achieve on 93 octane if you don't just approach the problem as just dropping 5 degrees of timing. there is a delicate balance between AFR and timing advance that you can play with to get a lot of power back, and spark is really complex, some running areas might not need much help at all. you might have a lot of fun with it.

I can't see how a thicker head gasket would change the quench area... volume yes but area?
you're confusing deck clearance with quench, that's all. lots of people mix those up because even a lot of machinists seem to use the wrong terms and it gets passed around.