so the gasket was old and in the back it was leaking oil on the transmission. today me and dad replaced it......never done it before, either of us. we didn't start it up yet, but we're hoping for the best.

will update when we get it going.

 

Hope you didn't tighten them down too much...

 

If you snug them all down finger tight first and then tighten with the socket in a crossing pattern it works pretty good. I agree...not too tight, otherwise you will bend the valve cover and possibly split the gasket.

 

And I wouldn't use those cork gaskets, as I always have problems with them. Use the rubber ones, as they are also reuseable, allowing you to take them off and on for awhile at least. Me and my brother use those on his IMCA modified dirt track car and there great.

 

we hope that we didn't tighten it down too much.

73CaliF100, that's exactly what we did.

Ranger76, we ordered the gasket from NAPA and a cork one is what came in. we put it on and dad says if it leaks then we're gonna throw it in the trash and get a rubber one. he said the cork ones never worked good at all on his Peterbilt.

 

I agree, the cork gaskets are junk, but they should do the job for a while.

 

The rubber gaskets are better but the cork will be fine.

 

I have had no problems with cork gaskets...in fact, I prefer them.

The problem is not the material...it's the installation. Many times the gasket gets misaligned, the bolts are over-tightened, the cover itself has gotten bent, or the bolts loosen, allow oil to seep past the gasket, at which point it never seals well again.

Here's what has worked flawlessly for me:

1. throw away the stupid bolts and put some studs in. If the bolts have equalizing tabs on them, keep those.
2. make sure BOTH mating surfaces are CLEAN and DRY.
3. on a clean piece of wax paper, coat the gasket heavily on both sides with high tack Spray-A-Gasket (NAPA #765-1224), letting each side sit for at least 5 minutes.
4. install the gasket over the studs, lining it up evenly and seating it with as little pressure as possible.
5. install the valve cover and secure it to the head with ny-loc nuts on the studs. Tighten down 1/8 turn past the point that the nuts begin to press down on the cover, working in a circular pattern from end to end. Direction does not matter here.
6. let it sit overnight about 12 hours, then again in a circular pattern, tighten to the point THAT YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH.

I know it seems time consuming, but for me it's been worth it. I did this in my van five years ago and in my '62 IH eight years ago. Not one of them has leaked a drop from the valve cover(s) since, and I spent about 2 hours on each vehicle because I had to install the studs.

I think that folks just tend to be a bit more careless with a $5 cork gasket than a $20-$30 rubber one. If you do it right, you should never have to take it off and put it back on again.

Now where's my $.98 change?!

 

I put a cork gasket on my 77 300 I6 I got from Napa. The old one was cork also, and just fell apart when I took the valve cover off. I did the cross tightening which worked well, but I did have to go over them and snug them up after it ran a bit and heated up the cork. But it never leaked a drop, or aleast so far.

I know cork is old school, but it an old dent side and it kinda fits with it.

PS: I don't want any change back.

 

The problem I always have with them is, straight out of the box they are already bent or crooked and I purchase the fel-pro brand, and when I go to put them on the valve covers, they never want to stay in place, even with putting the tabs in the grooves to hold them. The rubber ones are reinforced with a piece of metal that makes them hold their shape. The cork ones are fine and they do work (sometimes), but I would only put them on a beater, my truck may look like a beater, but its not. I got a modded 460 in it and it deserves the best parts only.

 

well, it did good for the first day of running it. I don't know how long it's gonna last, but I'll buy a rubber one if I need to.

 

FelPro now makes gaskets with anti-crush sleeves built in them. They are blue in color and are pricey. Usually nobody carries them in stock and you have to request them to get it. Worth it though. I have them on my 302, oil pan and valve covers.

 

Thats cool, are they cork or rubber?

 

Neopreme, not rubber or cork. Kinda a synthetic compound. Pretty nuch all new gaskets from the factory are of this nature. It has really cut down on leaks.

 

Awesome, how much did you pay for them, as I want some now.