The IH D282 engine head gasket is probably one of the most popular topics that I receive on a regular basis. First I would like to state that I don't have all the answers and I am certainly open to any new or old ideas on this topic. I am only offering my experience and limited knowledge on this topic.
First , a little history. The IH D282 was designed in the 1950's in an effort by International Harvester to produce a direct start diesel engine to compete in the ever growing demand for diesel power. The pre-combustion style of fuel injection was quite popular through out the industry during that period. The use of glow plugs heating up a small chamber that fuel was injected into allowed the engine to start at lower rpms due to an electric starter versus the pony start motors used by John Deere and Caterpillar at the time. The glow plugs were a pain but probably not as much as a pony motor. The D282 design was very similar to and based off of the IH gasoline motors of the time. The cylinder head was a unique design compared to it's gas counter part but it was bolted to a very similar block. The challenge with holding a head gasket from leaking compression into the coolant system, stems from the use of the similar gas block. Not enough head bolts. There are only 14 used on a D282. All later designed 6cylinder IH engines use 26 Not big enough . The head bolts used on a D282 are only 1/2' diameter . All other IH engines use 9/16" Too long. The long Head bolts used on D282's are 7 3/4" long. No other IH engine uses bolts this long. The head gasket was an IH engineered gasket that was designed specially to help keep the weakly clamped head/block ares sealed. When servicing these engines it became apparent that new head bolts ( at least the long 7 3/4' bolts) needed to be replaced every time the head was removed due to the stretch of the long thin bolt. Many IH dealerships developed their own protocol when replacing the head gasket on D282's. As I have been working on 282's since 1979 I also have come up with my own protocol. Mine is different than what most IH shops used in the 60',70's .80's and even into the 90's because parts have change and all or most D282's today have been through thousands of heat cycles that the IH engineers never dreamed of.
So this is what we do in my shop. We clean the block deck. We check the cylinder sleeve protrusion and make sure all sleeve stand out or protrusion is within .002" of each other. We clean and check the cylinder head and make sure it is within .002" of being true and flat. If not we have it resurface. We use only head gaskets that do not have rubber ( usually red rubber) grommets between cylinders no.s 2 &3 and between no,s 4 &5. These oversized seals for those coolant ports compromise the gasket material between them and the fire rings causing the fire ring to blow out into the coolant port. We use a 1/2" course thread 13tpi Tap to clean all head bolt holes then we spray brake cleaner (solvent) into each hole and blow dry with compressed air. We hang the head gasket and spray it with a smooth even coat of Permatex brand aresol Copper Kote head gasket sealer. While the copper Kote is drying or tacking up we paint around every coolant port on the block with Permatex brand Aviation style gasket sealer, we will also do the same on the head unless it has been resurfaced and looks perfect. If the block has deep corrosion around any of the coolant ports we will use heavy no.2 Permatex gasket sealer ( comes in a tube) in those ares and then using a safety razor as a trowel we remove any excess. Then just before laying the gasket on the block deck we will give it another coat of Copper Kote . Then we will lay the wet gasket on the deck on the wet gasket sealer. Then using 2 of the old long head bolts with the heads cut off for alignment dowels we set the head on and install new head bolts. We oil the threads of the bolts with motor oil ( just a few drops) and also oil under the bolt head. We torque the bolts using the pattern/ sequence in the service manual in 3 stages. 1) 90ft/lbs. 2) 110 ft/lbs 3) 120 ft/lbs. We will adjust the valve lash at this time. Then we leave it set to cure for at least 12hrs at 60+ degree shop temp.
The next day we add coolant and engine oil if it has been drained , bleed the fuel system and start the engine. We let it run at varying rpms until it gets up to operating temp (180 degrees). We make sure it runs at that temp for a minimum of 20 minutes for the head and block to acclimate. Then we will shut it off and recheck the head bolt torque of 120ft/lbs. Expect a few of the bolts to allow 1/4 turn while checking. Do not loosen the bolts to do this check. If you follow this procedure the head gasket will not fail provided the engine is not overheated or some other issue occurs.
NOTE: The use of head studs enhances the clamping pressure but cannot overcome the lack of bolts. If the threads in the block are thought to be damaged or weakened then head studs definitely have an advantage