technique to sealing a oil pan on a 360?

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fuzzman

fuzzman

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I know that I have asked this before but, what I'm looking for is what is the proper way to install the gasket. Do you put a skim coat of a certian kind of sealer on or do you install it dry? Do you hurry and put it together right away after you put a skim coat of sealer on? or no sealer at all? Also I'm going to have to take it off and put it back on while the motor is in the car, it's a 67 barracuda. Any suggestions?

Pat Faley
67 NB S Clone
Peoria IL
 
fuzzman said:
I know that I have asked this before but, what I'm looking for is what is the proper way to install the gasket. Do you put a skim coat of a certian kind of sealer on or do you install it dry? Do you hurry and put it together right away after you put a skim coat of sealer on? or no sealer at all? Also I'm going to have to take it off and put it back on while the motor is in the car, it's a 67 barracuda. Any suggestions?

Pat Faley
67 NB S Clone
Peoria IL
Click to expand...

I put a thin coat of rtv on the rubber seals, and a small blob in the corners where they meet the cork. I don't use any on the side rails of the pan. Stick it together while the rtv is still wet. Snug up the bolts and haven't had any issued. Done it this way many times.

Also, use brake clean to remove ALL oil residue. Thats very important.
 
I don't even USE the end rubbers, either on the intake or the oil pan

I use Permatex "High Tack"

http://www.permatex.com/products/Au...ts/auto_Permatex_High_Tack_Gasket_Sealant.htm

which you can think of as sort of a contact adhesive, for the pan sides.

Get everything CLEAN so you can eat off it, and DRY

Make sure the pan is not deformed by overtorqueing bolts. Do a little "bodywork" if needed

Apply the High Tack, let it get tacky, put the pan gasket on whatever is "down", IE engine on a stand, or pan if the engine is in the car. Coat the exposed side of the gasket

Apply a sizeable bead (experience here) of black silicone to the pan end seal area, put the pan on and torque carefully. Less is more.

Last, if you need additional silicone to fill the ends, apply it, and carefully form it in place with ??? your finger, etc, and let 'er dry for at least a day or two.
 
I just replace the cork with a bead of high temp silicone. It will never leak.
 
I don't agree on a lot silicone on the pan, or anywhere. My reasoning is, the less amount of the stuff you use, the less chance you have of getting it squeezed into the engine and being sucked up by the pick up. but thats just me, cuz open oil passages are much more important than maybe a little gasket weep.
 
StrokerScamp said:
I just replace the cork with a bead of high temp silicone. It will never leak.
Click to expand...

100% agree

i built engines for years, silicone with no gasket is the only way to go. i also toss the end seals in the trash and use ultra black RTV there too. use laquer thinner to clean your surfaces first, and you'll never have another leak.

i've never had a issue with the stuff ending up in the engine, you'd have to be really careless with it to actually cause any problems.

i also use it on timing covers, water pumps, thermostat housings, etc in place of gaskets. when you have to fix leaks on a customer engine on your own time you learn how not to have em leak!!
 
yup, use the rubber ends, toss the cork. Make sure the surfaces (including the rubber) are free of oil (including from your skin), the pan flange is flat, I use ultra grey or ultra black silicone, and torque in even steps from the center out.
 
I have to agree with the bodywork part too. Lay the pan on a flat surface and make it mate. If the leak is at the back of the engine it might be the rear main seal or the rear main bearing cap leaking. I use very small amounts of RTV . When a gasket doesn't want to lay in place I'll tie small pieces of sewing thread through a few bolt holes. Once the bolts are started the tread is cut and pulled out. This helps a lot when the gasket was wadded up in a box.
 
I hate to make this comparison.....but I've not worked with the later model small blocks. Are they like the chevys in the aspect that you can just use the later one piece rubber oil pan gasket? Or maybe there's one available in the aftermarket. On this 454 I just got done buildin, I used the reuseable one piece oil pan gasket from the 86 and up big blocks. Makes for a nice fit and a leak free fit. Surely there's one available for the Mopar.
 
milodon makes a 1 piece oil pan gasket for the 360.

Use 'the right stuff' if you gonna do the whole pan with sealer instead of gaskets.jma

me? I use the gaskets with sealer where the end seals meet the gasket, I don't use cork for the oil pan, instead I use the milodon composite gaskets and either-high tack permatex or eddelbock gasgasinch to seal it to the pan. the composites don't smash down and warp the pan when re torqued/checked later.

what sucks about the seals is when you have had the block line honed/bored and the rear seal [especially] want to bunch up because now it too long.
 
I use the magnum one piece gasket for the rail portion and the 360 rubber end pieces.

I cut the end portions off of the one piece and throw them away. I use the fel pro end pieces from a 360 set (rubber). I apply a dab of Right Stuff silicon to fill the gap between the one piece gasket and the ends, and nowhere else. No leaks.

I hate goo. The cleanup drives me crazy and takes too much time. I don't use it on my thermostat, front cover or water pump. Just in these places on the oil pan gasket and at the ends of the intake manifold (but not around the water jackets). I haven't had any water leaks (though I did have to teflon tape the thermostat housing bolts to stop a leak there.)
 
You guys keep saying to torque the pan gasket? The small block specs say to torque the oil pan to 15 ft lb don't you guys think thats a little high most torque wrenches don't go to 15 ft lb the ones i own any way. I have a inch torque wrench so, what would 15 ft lb equate to in inch pounds? the point that I'm tryingto make is i was always told to just tighten the oil pan to just past snug? any suggestions or comments?
 
I have an antique Snap On "nut runner". They were used on the line in car plants specifically for pans, valve covers and timing covers. sheet metal essentially. It goes 8 LB FT. That's perfect for oil pans and stuff.
 
by feel..

if you do the right stuff route and no gasket/seals, you want to place a nice even bead along the block rail & front and rear cap/cover, make sure you get it in the rear cap seal recess.
I would then put just a finger wiped skin on the pan rails all the way around etc..

then set the pan on so that you have to adjust it as lil as possible to get the bolts in [studs are nice for this] and just very lightly snug them down evenly keeping abot a gasket thickness between pan and rail, then after it drys snug it just a lil more.

thats how i've done it.
some people just glue it and screw it then when it's dry, run it.
 
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