Im doing straight up timing on my 79 ...reason one is because my timing cover developed a leak....glad I went in though..my original timing chain was stretched...there is a groove on the timing cover side that goes against the block that really logically seems like a leak pathway..new gasket doesnt cover it..does this get filled with RTV or something..its to the right of the round passage...its the small groove...help appreciated

 

I'm no expert on big blocks but I believe that groove stays open. Timing cover gasket seals the oil side and water pump gaskets should seal the other coolant side. If that makes sense??

 

thanks ballan..but this is the block side of timing cover in pic..it seems that water from the rectangular passage could come right through that groove and out into the world......my first BB ford

 

I may not be thinking of this correctly, but what was there before the removal operation started? Obviously(?) if it was open before there would have been a leak.
On a separate issue: Is there an original cam gear with "nylon" teeth on it? If you're doing "straight up" timing you've already resolved this. But be sure to eliminate the nylon toothed cam gear before finishing the job. It can cause a lot of grief.

 

That passage is there to prevent coolant from entering the Lube oil if the gasket sounding the coolant passage fails. If there was no passage and the gasket failed it could potentially find it;s way in to the lube oil. Then you have the oil contaminated with coolant. And the next step after that is a grenaded bottom end.

It stays open DO NOT block it off.

 

thanks...i left it open...was unsure