I've recently started rebuilding a ea81, but its been one of those things where you do tear down and a few months later you afford parts..........

 

My quest for knowledge includes

- are there any rubber o rings that go in between the case halves bolts and washers? I know the newer EJ series has a combo sealing washer....I just can't remember...

- Secondly how reliable are Ea81 heads after repairing a small crack in the heads between the valves?

-Thirdly, feeling about using copper gasket spray for head-gaskets, my block and heads are recently hot-tanked and heads are straight..

No orings. The machined surface with a bit of sealant is what creates the seal. Bolts just hold the two halves together.

 

Unless the cracks are huge, don't worry about them.

 

Do not use any kind of sealant on the headgaskets.