Leak at rear of oil pan, could it be the girdle?

RustyRatRod said
I tell you what I just got done doing. I'm putting my Ford 400 back together. I don't know what it is with these cork gaskets anymore, but they are so thin and so crappy that they split all to hell when you torque the bolts to even 5 LB FT. I just wasn't satisfied with it as the cork sides were all stickin out the sides from being split.....and I did NOT over torque them. So I pulled the pan back off, removed the cork sides, cleaned it all up good and put a good bead of RTV on the sides and joined it into the corners of the pan seals front and rear and put the pan back on. I bet that beeotch seals now. I'd put a one piece oil pan gasket on it, but nobody makes one.

Here is the trick. If using a sealant or just putting them on dry the gaskets will squeeze out at the bolts while being compressed.

The trick is to dry the pan. Use contact cement and glue the gasket to the pan . On big blocks glue the second gasket for the windage tray to the top of the tray. With the gaskets glued in place they will squash but won't push out. Remember to always tap the holes flat on the pan.

Look at this gasket install Can't get any tighter then this. He had 4 gaskets and RTV with a windage tray and it still leaked. LOL