Hello folks,

I am finally getting round to re-uniting the zetecs head with the block in my much neglected Escort but want something clarifying first. There might be a problem with the head gasket.
Pictured below is the head gasket sat on the block in all its pre-clamped glory.



Now the next two pics show a closer view of cylinders 1 & 2 and 3 & 4. Take a look at the passageways in the head gasket for the water jacket. They are much smaller on cylinders 1&2 than the jacket aperture itself but on cylinders 3 & 4 they are tiny, almost like pilot holes.





Now is this normal or do I have a faulty head gasket? I was considering cutting the material away to completely open up the water channels on all cylinders. Does this sound wise or is the restriction on those cylinders there for a reason?

Cheers for the help,

Smiler.