Hello everyone. I am starting to do the research for sealing my engine. I plan to pull it in the next month or so. It is in a 1970 F100 4x2. I have found a couple gaskets that I am wanting your opinions on. I am on an extremely small budget do to some unexpected issues not related to my truck.

First is the Fel-Pro FS8168PT2 Full Set. Second is the Fel-Pro OS34601R Oil Pan Gasket Set
I have read about the advantages of the 1 piece gasket over the 4 piece and I am glad it's and easy mod to work in.

Also, are there any other suggestions for things to look out for when I do this. I have seen that some people have issue with timing covers being cracked or cracking when going back on. That I guess would be similar to the issue I had when I watched my thermostat housing warp back off the motor as I loosened the bolts to change the thermostat for the first time.
I am not looking for performance mods. I like my stock 300 other than the way it marks its territory.

 

I did this job last year sometime. I know what you mean about leaving marks all over the driveway! That gets frustrating.

Overall though, it's a really straight forward process once you have the engine out. And removing the engine is a hassle, but it's not too bad.

You're definitely on the right track with the 1 piece felpro gasket. That really makes a difference. One thing to note on that one is that it may seem counter intuitive, but you're not supposed to use ANY sealant on those (except for a little in the 4 corners). They go on dry. This allows the silicone to settle and move as it needs to.

If you're going that route, I'd avoid the full gasket set and get everything individually. No point in buying multiples of the same gasket.

For the timing cover, there are two sets available. The more expensive of the two (the one you want) comes with a repair sleeve for the harmonic balancer that you'll want to use.
The only time I had a lifter cover crack, all the breaks were around the bolt tabs. Not sure what happened, but they were all snapped off. Other than that, broken covers aren't something I've seen commonly.


Then, there's a valve cover gasket (your choice of cork or rubber), and the push rod cover / lifter cover gasket.


For tips:

On the timing cover, when you put it back on:
Put the oil pan and gasket in place and have it held up snug with a few bolts. You want enough bolts in so that you're sure it's where it'll be when it's installed.

Put the timing cover in place and have it held in place loosely with a few bolts. You want it to be able to move.

Install and press on the harmonic balancer. It doesn't need to go on ALL the way, just enough so that it's fully seated into the seal in the timing cover. This will center the timing cover.

Put the bolts through the oil pan that go into the timing cover. They don't need to be tight, just enough that they line up the cover.

Tighten down two or three bolts on the front of the cover so that the timing cover is firmly held in place and can't move.

Use your puller to remove the harmonic balancer again.

Properly torque down all the front bolts on the timing cover in a criss-cross pattern to the proper torque spec. For extra caution, tighten them down incrementally. (Such as all to 5 ft/lbs, then 10, then 15, etc.)

Reinstall the harmonic balancer and tighten it down.

That will properly line up the timing cover without the use of special Ford tools.



Other tips:

Never overtorque ANY of the bolts. The torque specs are designed to just put firm pressure on the gaskets, not crush down on them. If you crush a gasket, you'll need to pull it all off and put a new one on, or it'll leak.

Be sure all the mating surfaces on the oil pan and valve cover are FLAT. On my valve cover, a P/O had overtorqued all the bolts, so the bolt holes were all cratered, and had a nice lump on the bottom side. I had to pound them all back to flat.
The oil pan was even worse to the point where I had to replace the whole thing.
If your surfaces aren't all nice and flat, they'll damage the gaskets when you put them all back on.

Wait for all the sealant on the valve cover, timing cover, and lifter/pushrod cover to fully cure before firing it up.


Best of luck, I hope it goes well.

 

Thanks for the response.

I am still debating on removing the head from the block. I see people talk about installing hardened valve seats in the FE engines to help cope with today's fuels. I have never done this before so was curious if it was simple enough to do while I had the engine out.

I do remember seeing a thread about the sleeve on the HB and how to use it for proper alignment of the cover. Thanks for the reminder.

I do have some experience with over tightened valve covers and oils pans and repairing them. Switching to the one piece oil pan gasket will force me to flatten the surfaces anyway. I will most likely have to grind the lips off around the bolt holes on the pan. I doubt that it has been done previously.

 

All 300s came with hardened exhaust seats, no worries there. It's a machine shop fix if a head needs hardened seats so consider yourself lucky.

If you're not too worried about opening the engine back up anytime soon then Gasgacinch is good stuff. Seals good but not too adhesive when it's time to remove the sealed item.

 

Thanks everyone for the info. I will be getting the gasket sets next week along with the balancer repair sleeve.

 

I'll add one thing: When you install the one piece gasket (please do), you'll need to grind off the raised areas on the sealing surface of the oilpan that are there to locate the (leaky, brittle) cork four piece gasket. It may seem daunting, but do it- you'll be pleased with the result.

 

Thanks Frank. I have read several thread on the oil-pan gasket and knew about the raised areas around the bolt holes. My understanding is that the newer gasket has them embedded within the gasket and that would keep it from going on or sealing without grinding off the the ones on the pan. I don't think it will take that long with an air grinder. I am also figuring I will have to true up some of the hole areas from many years of being over torqued. Good to have it here in the thread in case anyone else has these questions.

I have another question for everyone. What about sealants? What kinds, colors, and where are they recommended?

I know you need a touch in the corners of the pan gasket but what color permatex do you guys find works best?

I was told the Ford didn't use an exhaust manifold gasket and that using one isn't the proper way to seal the exhaust manifold. Here is how it was explained to me.

One thing I will add is not using any gasket between the exhaust manifold and the head. Intake...yes, exhaust... no. If you do you will end up with a cracked manifold. Ford wanted some of it's heat to transfer to the head to go away via the head's cooling passages. A gasket becomes a barrier. Clean the mating surfaces of the head and manifold real well. Carefull to keep the machined fit flatness. When bolting it together simply smear a thin layer of Graphite (wheel bearing) grease on the the mating surface of the exhaust manifold. When you start the engine back up let it idle for a while. The hot exhaust manifold will "cook" the grease in to a gasket. This will not be a barrier. This is how Ford wanted Dealer mechanics to do it.

 

That's some interesting insight. I've never heard of it but it sounds interesting.

BTW I've had good results with the orange Hi-temp sealant

 

sorry - the brand is Permatex

 

Tagging this for when I'm ready. I was planning to go ahead and install my timing cover today but my damper is being rebuilt, so I guess I need to wait on it being returned before I do this.

 

Glad it was helpful! Wow, that was a while ago. 12 years, time flies.