Technical SBF-Use two cork gaskets or just RTV on intake manifold ends?

I think I’m 4-5 times re-using the rubber ones on my bbf. No s****ing off the old **** or finding bits of rtv in the valley or worse. They also give you nice alignment and fool proof with the dowels. Works for me.

 

If you're finding stuff in the oil pan , then you've found the results of wanna be mechanics mis using products , maybe folks with learning disabilities or no common sense or both . Regardless , it's not the fault of the product .

 

Does , doesn't it . I started buying generic 12-packs of sbc chev gaskets from compe***ion products 20 years ago , cheap & no rubbers to toss .

 

I've been a tech with Ford and Lincoln since 87 and its always been silicone on the end. Motorcraft diesel grey always worked best, it would seal a battleship.

 

I used this on my 355 build. Take care to mask off where you do not want it... a real ****** to get off later. It has a "pot" life of about 5 minutes, so you have to get everything ready to go.

 

I just use a drain plug with an RTV magnet in it. Problem solved...

 

Some time back I had an engine that kept showing coolant in the oil. i checked all the usual culprits and found no problems. After much sleuthing I found the leak was at the front coolant ports on the head/manifold joint. I tried sealing it with new gaskets but it still leaked at that joint. Until I threw away the rubber end gaskets and used RTV instead. No more leak. This was an aftermarket intake, but when GM went to factory aluminum intakes they started using RTV too, I expect for similar reasons.

 

I glue them on with3M weather stripping adhesive so you won't knock them out of place

 

before the RTV stuff came out a lot of guys 3M weather strip glued the rubbers in
Same with the pan rubber seals

there are A couple different Right stuff formulations that dry at different speeds.
I use the fast one a lot on overhead cam valve cover gaskets in the corners at work I can start it up by the time I put the tools away and write a WO

Some on mentioned the Ford brand RTV and it works well also .

the Right Stuff vs the old Ultra blue or black , grey are very different . The Right stuff sticks better and dries to a more dense / rigid consistency .

You can get the Right Stuff in a tube for a calking gun and that is what we use at work in a heavy equipment shop .

 

Don’t be so sure. RTV netted me a free Ranger pickup when the original, never opened Lima four cylinder engine lost oil pressure and grenaded. The autopsy found the pickup screen plugged with RTV.

It was sort of surprising, since factory RTV is typically applied by robotic machines. Guess the robot had a tough weekend for that one.

The engines we produced in the 80s through the early 00’s used a lot of robotically applied RTV, and it was pretty bulletproof. The preferred sealant was a Wacker product. It was grey and difficult to remove, but it was the best we could find in the day.

Later designs migrated away from form in place gaskets to rubber o ring cross section gaskets in labyrinth seal grooves.

For my own builds, I prefer the rubber Felpro end gaskets fly SBF builds.

 

I tried to find The Right Stuff last year and couldn't find it anywhere. I was directed to Ultra Grey. The stuff didn't dry. I'll never use it again and threw away my new tube.

Back to 3M Weatherstrip adhesive.

 

One of my vehicles has a Buick 455. The most popular provider of Buick engine parts suggests to measure your end gap before ***embly. If the gap is 75% of the rubber seal thickness, they say to use only the seal. If the gap is less, they say to use black silicone, and if the gap is more they say to use the rubber seal and a bead of silicone. Simple enough.

 

More than a little wisdom here. It would really be worth the time and effort to make these measurements when ***embling a 50 year or older engine. Especially when working with a mixed-bag ***ortment of parts from maybe 3 different engines.

Gaps and clearances can change quite a bit between decking the block, milling the heads and truing up the gasket surfaces on an intake manifold. The older the engine, the more likely it is to have had some kind of machine work performed on it.

 

Aka Gorilla Snot. We used that for years at the corners of the intake gaskets and let it sit overnight. They always stayed put. 3M also makes a black one that works the same.

 

AI / robotics depends on construction & control provided by ....MAN .