Xflow head gasket coolant holes?

[accord83 374]

I'm just changing the cylinder head on my flow and I noticed that the exhaust side of the block/head has 3 coolant holes that the old head gasket covered over, so I checked 2 new ones on my shelf. Just the same.

So I looked at the pictures of a Felpro gasket on Burtons site, the same. What's that all about?

Why have water galleries which match, and the block them off with the gasket? Is this correct or is it time for the hole punch to be introduced to Mr Headgasket?

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Is it me, or does the top picture look like 4 cartoon characters with their tits out, through 4 portholes😁

 

 

 

 

 

OK Maybe not, it's been a long day!

[katana 370]

Varying the hole size is a way of restricting or varying the flow around each cylinder. You often see smaller holes near the pump and larger further away.

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1 hour ago, katana said:

Varying the hole size is a way of restricting or varying the flow around each cylinder. You often see smaller holes near the pump and larger further away.

But why block 3 holes with gasket? One of my spare gaskets has pressings around the 2 outer holes as if they were optional to cut out, bit weird.