Well, I blew the head gasket on my motor, I think because of some detonation (too much juice, not enough timing pulled). No coolant got in the oil or vice versa, but exhaust is getting into the coolant = bad. Also fragged the #1 spark plug.

So, I'll need to pull the intake and driver's side head. I also have a header gasket needing replaced, and I have a near unsolveable oil leak.

I'm just gonna pull the motor, out the bottom. We did it with my roomate's car, and it was fairly easy coming out that way. Need to bleed my brakes anyway, so I'll get it all done in one shot. That, and if I cracked my #1 piston (I pray I didn't crack it or damage a valve) I'd have to pull the motor anyway.

I'm gonna do EVERY gasket in this motor. EVERY single one. Here is what is on her right now:

- Felpro LT1 intake and their regular head gaskets
- Felpro oil pan gasket, rubber rear main seal, timing cover gasket
- Stock gasket for the metal behind the rear main seal
- LT4 valve covers (almost new), so those aren't leaking
- Felpro 1406 header gaskets

So, what gaskets should I get, and from whom. Cost is an issue, so a set of $200 head gaskets is not an option. Are GM gaskets for the oil pan, rear main, timing cover, etc. better than the Felpros? Any other/different gaskets I should try. I'm going to reuse my ARP head and intake bolts.

I know the Felpro head gaskets are .039 compressed, but aren't the GM gaskets a little thicker? Thicker would lower my compression ratio slightly, which in my case wouldn't be a bad thing.

Any of the GM stuff I would get from Dal or Jason Cromer. For non-GM stuff, any place that has it cheap (especially board sponsers) would be nice to know of.

 

Well I would definately go with Fel-Pro gaskets. They are much better than almost all other companies and aren't that expensive. As far as the compression, a thinner head gasket WILL raise your compression. I don't know if regular small block chevy head gaskets work on LT1s but I do know you can get different thicknesses for the small block chevy. SCE makes copper header gaskets that you would NEVER be able to blow out once tightened properly. I hope this little biut of info helps

 

be sure to clean everything real good w/ brake cleaner, it will make everything seal up right. use some rtv on the oil pan where it dips down around the valve cover and rear seal, they never seem to close up right.

You also know about the notorious intake leak on the back where the egr line comes in, be sure to use gray rtv on the intake for that.

I usually use black rtv on everything, it works really well and blends in better than anything else.

good luck.

oh, might want to replace the seals on the timing cover, and rear main seal if you are going that far.

 

in my opinion- rubber gaskets are rubber gaskets. no need for fancy valve cover or oil pan gaskets

As far as intake manifold- do what i did. I dremeled a crevis into the block where the intake meets the block. I matched it in the intake manifold as well. Then when I loaded it up with RTV- it made a "wall" which keeps oil in.

Basically 2 tounge and groove joints back to back-

2 grooves and the sealant is the "tounge"

Id use copper head and header gaskets, felrpo intake gaskets.

I had a **** ton of trouble TEARING my intake off after only 6 months using felpro gaskets.

 

DON'T use a copper head gasket....

you're not anywhere near the power levels needed... a regular head gasket will seal fine on your motor.

if you put a copper head gasket on... then where is the weak link? ..... it's not the head gasket, thats for sure.

basically... this is what i'm saying....

copper head gaskets are resistant to bad situations (detonation, etc) .... if you do have such a problem, which would you rather do? blow a head gasket, or break a piston?

 

I'm doing every gasket again, including timing cover, rear main, etc. and know all about going heavy duty on the black RTV. I will also make sure to get everything extrememly clean before putting it back together.

Header gaskets I know I'm gonna stick w/ the 1406's. Never had a problem with them until a bolt came loose and blew out the gasket.

I'm not gonna run copper head gaskets, have heard too many bad things with getting coolant leaking problems. Is their any conventional style head gaskets, other than Felpro and GM, I might consider using. If not, would I be better off running the slightly thicker stock head gaskets (which are .049" if I recall correctly). I think I blew the gasket due to spraying a 150 shot w/ an LT4 knock sensor, stock WOT timing maps, mix of 93 and 94 octane, and only pulling 3 degrees with the MSD box. I don't want to repeat this problem!

 

I just replaced my head gaskets with GM ones. Other than that, I'm with Trey, a gasket is a gasket, but I'd probably do Fel-pro. I've always had great luck with them.

John