Hi,

You can't use wiring ringing with a Ford ERST headgasket because it is essentially a steel laminate head gasket, its just the upper and lower layers are fibre and rubber coated rather than the traditional MLS type black steel gaskets, but the fire rings are completely steel and thus cannot cope with the extra compression provided with wire ringing.

If you wish to keep the wire ringing use a genuine Ford XR3i head gasket with new wire rings set to 6 thou protrusion, otherwise surface grind the block with the wire rings still installed to get a flat block face and use a Ford ERST gasket.