Do you have to drop the pan? If I understand correctly its a single gasket from the pan to the bottom of the timing cover and back to the pan. Could you just cut it with a razor as you pulled the cover and just salvage it later or just use RTV or cut some gasket material for the bottom of the timing cover?
ANYTHING sounds better than breaking the seal between the PAN and the BLOCK.
Never pulled a cover off a SBC but my old pontiac mill is actually designed this way with a seperate piece of gasket for the pan to the bottom of the timing cover.

 

TTT

 

The modern rubber gaskets are pretty durable and resilient. IMO, I would not cut it. It would be hard for any amount of RTV to seal it back off, because it is so hard to get the surfaces clean.

It just takes a little more time and patience to get the timing cover off without ripping the gasket. I took out all but the back three bolts on the oil pan and loosened the ones that remained. That let the front of the pan down just enough to free the flange of the timing cover.
Then, you have to carefully pry the seal out of the groove on the bottom of the timing cover. I used some brake clean spray and a rag to clean up all the surfaces before re-install. I also used some RTV when putting it all back.

 

[quote]let the front of the pan down just enough to free the flange of the timing cover. [quote]

Is it physically impossible to remove the cover without dropping the pan. Just trying to understand before I get there.
http://ken.lowrance.com/Projects/CS...overRemoved.jpg

Is the gasket there in the above pic?

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by quicksilver97ta
[quote]let the front of the pan down just enough to free the flange of the timing cover.

Quote:

Is it physically impossible to remove the cover without dropping the pan. Just trying to understand before I get there.
http://ken.lowrance.com/Projects/CS...overRemoved.jpg

Is the gasket there in the above pic?

The link did not work, but I looked at Ken's cam page. Apparently, he got his out without dropping the pan. You run the risk of ripping the gasket, though. It's your call.

The deal is, the timing cover is meant to go on first and then the oil pan gasket goes on top of it. Mine was already beginning to leak a little right there, so I opted to try to make it seal better.

 

Cool, thanks for the info.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by quicksilver97ta
[quote]let the front of the pan down just enough to free the flange of the timing cover.

Quote:

Is it physically impossible to remove the cover without dropping the pan. Just trying to understand before I get there.
http://ken.lowrance.com/Projects/CS...overRemoved.jpg

Is the gasket there in the above pic?

I just did a cam swap so that gasket is fresh on my mind. Please do yourself a favor and take the time to loosen all the pan bolts and lower the pan a half inch so that you can remove and more importantly reinstall the rubber gasket without tearing it. As Shoxbox mentions, I used brake cleaner to clean the surfaces and used a smear of RTV sealant to ensure a good seal. So far so good.

 

i couldnt agree more!!! i am in the middle of my hotcam install now. the timing cover WILL come off without ripping the seal or having to drop the pan! but..... there is no way its going back on without dropping the pan a little! i tried forever to try and work it back in.... i ended up ripping the seal, and having to drop the pan anyways! the trick to removing the cover without ripping the seal is to pull it up... not out! there is a little lip at the bottom of the cover in which the seal sits in. take out all the bolts in the timing cover, pry the top of the cover off, then pull it up and it will come off the rubber seal.

but def. save yourself the trouble and aggrivation and just drop the pan a little to begin with! even though some of the bolts are a pain to get at!!!

 

Quote:
there is no way its going back on without dropping the pan a little! i tried forever to try and work it back in....

What made it so difficult to go back on? Was the cover hitting the chain? Or was it just getting the gasket to set correctly that made it difficult?

 

You lazy bums ;-). I'd honestly recommend just swapping the oil pan gasket. My friend and I did it pretty quickly, and my car has absolutely no leaks now. Putting a new pan in also makes putting the timing cover on easy as cake, since you'll have the motor jacked up a little and you literally have 2-3" of clearance. You simply lower the engine down w/ the timing cover on and basically put it on the gasket. To get the gasket on, we cut the oil pressure sender lines and slid the gasket over the oil pan. If you need detailed directions, drop me an email at LTLHOMER@aol.com. It wasn't near as bad as we thought it would be, and it's well worth knowing you won't spring a leak at the timing cover. :-)

 

As I said before, the timing cover is supposed to go on first, then the pan. The front of the pan gasket is smack dab in the way. It is harder to get back on, because you are trying to do it in reverse order.

It is definitely worth it to spend the extra 30 minutes or less loosening the pan and not having to fight or tear the gasket, plus not having any leaks afterward.

 

Lift the engine? New rubber seal? Cut lines? Why do all that? I suppose if you have money to spend and extra time for a new seal, but I don't think it is necessary to get the job done and have no leaks. I might consider that approach 10 years from now if that seal is hard and brittle.

But it is nice to see a breadth of methods used by board members for this project.

 

A wealth of information and opinions, thats good Q & A.

 

hey guys im in the middle of doing my oil pan an TC gasket too, now some of you were talking about putting cams in, with these LT1 motors aren't they like any CSB, u must or should put new cam bearings in as well (i.e. pulling the engine out) or r the LT1 motors diff. in some sense; cuz if u don't have to replace the bearings sh*t i'll probably stick a nice cam in mine, also how r u guys removing ur harmonic balancer/crank pulley hubs??? i work at AZ and got the HB pulley puller and could not for the life of me get that hub off also when taking the opti off don't u have to save that metal plate that the opti bolts to, and if so where the @#$#$ did u guys get a socket to fit those star headed bolts???
Thanks a bunch!!!!!!!!!!!

Rob

 

TTT