Slant 6 Valve cover gasket.?????

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ryan1428

ryan1428

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There seams to be two valve cover gaskets available. How do I know the correct one? Valve cover leaking like crazy. Also and advice on how to change the gasket or is it just clean old surface and install dry? Any torque numbers? Thanks.


66 Dart Wagon
 
Ive always been able to go down to my local Napa and give them the year/make/model of my car and the had the right one for me. Just be sure to get a good rubber gasket and not a cork gasket. As for install make sure both surfaces are clean and dry and that the valve cover has not been overtightened in the past and warped around the bolt holes. You dont need the bolts to be super tight, just nicely snug.

Also, nice thing about the rubber gasket is it can be reused if you have to take the valvecover back off in the future.
 
Ken_B said:
Ive always been able to go down to my local Napa and give them the year/make/model of my car and the had the right one for me. Just be sure to get a good rubber gasket and not a cork gasket. As for install make sure both surfaces are clean and dry and that the valve cover has not been overtightened in the past and warped around the bolt holes. You dont need the bolts to be super tight, just nicely snug.

Also, nice thing about the rubber gasket is it can be reused if you have to take the valvecover back off in the future.
Click to expand...

x2 on rubber vs cork...( guessing that was the '2 available'). and straighten bent cover

... it can be reused WHEN you have to take the valvecover back off in the future
 
here we go again... Nothing personal Ken!

I always run a cork gasket that has been hi-tacked, RTV'd, or some other fuel/oil resistant sealer to the valve cover and then just clean the head.

I could never get the rubber one to seal, even after RTV'ing both sides and letting it dry for two days, leaked like a sive.

And using my method for the cork you can also reuse it, the one on my 68 has been on and off at least a dozen times and still no leaks
 
805moparkid said:
here we go again... Nothing personal Ken!

I always run a cork gasket that has been hi-tacked, RTV'd, or some other fuel/oil resistant sealer to the valve cover and then just clean the head.

I could never get the rubber one to seal, even after RTV'ing both sides and letting it dry for two days, leaked like a sive.

And using my method for the cork you can also reuse it, the one on my 68 has been on and off at least a dozen times and still no leaks
Click to expand...

Was thinking more about this.. I haven't done a lot of these and mostly years ago. Back then I probably did more as you said - cork/high tack. Not a dozen times, but I did re-use them. Today's cork gaskets may hold up better also. I do prefer the rubber, but they may be less forgiving if the cover is not flat. I will agree if rubber does not seal by itself, my experience is that RTV sometimes seams to make it worse
 
zkx14 said:
Was thinking more about this.. I haven't done a lot of these and mostly years ago. Back then I probably did more as you said - cork/high tack. Not a dozen times, but I did re-use them. Today's cork gaskets may hold up better also. I do prefer the rubber, but they may be less forgiving if the cover is not flat. I will agree if rubber does not seal by itself, my experience is that RTV sometimes seams to make it worse
Click to expand...

the biggest problem with the cork gaskets is over tightening them, i ditched the bolts for studs with nylocks. With this i can snug them without them backing out, no leaks.

As for the rubber i tried and tried, ended up throwing the couple i had away, never again
 
805moparkid said:
the biggest problem with the cork gaskets is over tightening them, i ditched the bolts for studs with nylocks. With this i can snug them without them backing out, no leaks.

As for the rubber i tried and tried, ended up throwing the couple i had away, never again
Click to expand...

The trick with cork gaskets is to glue them to the rocker cover with contact cement, and fit either bone dry, or with an RTV silicone.....this depends on the type of surface the gasket will be sealing on.
On the Holden 6's we have here, where the rocker cover, and tappet covers are, the surface is a rough as cast surface.....so they go on dry.
 
Cork.. The rubber gaskets = never again, but I might have to give the gaskets made in Tennessee that Charrlie_s has shown one day, I have never seen them
I use gray RTV on the Valve cover and just a thin thin coat of rtv on the head and make sure the valve cover is flat where the bolt holes are, slowly snug down with a 1/4 ratchet starting in the center and work your way out, then go back and tighten slightly If I had to guess maybe 3 inch lbs not much at all.. let it set over night ..
 
There are two different style of valve cover gaskets in case your actually asking about the type per engine year...

One style for the earlier drool tube heads and one for the peanut style, later hydrolic heads as the cover and the bolting patterns are different for each.
 
Kernel Sanders said:
There are two different style of valve cover gaskets in case your actually asking about the type per engine year...

One style for the earlier drool tube heads and one for the peanut style, later hydrolic heads as the cover and the bolting patterns are different for each.
Click to expand...
:eek:ops: so true and thank you Kernel =D>
 
Every Slant 6 valve cover I've gotten in here to restore has needed the gasket rail straightened. When you have the valve cover off, lay it flat and make sure nothing is prohibiting it from sealing properly. Regardless of what gasket you have, it'll never stop leaking if it doesn't fully mate to the head.
 
cjh said:
The trick with cork gaskets is to glue them to the rocker cover with contact cement, and fit either bone dry, or with an RTV silicone.....this depends on the type of surface the gasket will be sealing on.
On the Holden 6's we have here, where the rocker cover, and tappet covers are, the surface is a rough as cast surface.....so they go on dry.
Click to expand...

see post 4
 
memike said:
Cork.. The rubber gaskets = never again, but I might have to give the gaskets made in Tennessee that Charrlie_s has shown one day, I have never seen them
I use gray RTV on the Valve cover and just a thin thin coat of rtv on the head and make sure the valve cover is flat where the bolt holes are, slowly snug down with a 1/4 ratchet starting in the center and work your way out, then go back and tighten slightly If I had to guess maybe 3 inch lbs not much at all.. let it set over night ..
Click to expand...

if you don't put any on the head you can reuse it.
 
All I know is it looks bone stock. The air cleaner says charger 225 and there are some engine pics in the link below. Would hate to get the valve cover off and find out I have the wrong gasket.
 
I just put one on this week (cork) Felpro, box said 1960 to 1980.
Part number is VS 12680
 
I just put one on as well - Felpro cork. I didn't use any cement though - just straight on and I expect to pull it off to do a valve adjustment soon as I get it running again. We'll see how it goes?
 
Kernel Sanders said:
There are two different style of valve cover gaskets in case your actually asking about the type per engine year...

One style for the earlier drool tube heads and one for the peanut style, later hydrolic heads as the cover and the bolting patterns are different for each.
Click to expand...
This may be an old thread, but you are the only one that has confirmed that there are 2 types of 225 v/c gaskets, i have tried all from my 64 to 83, all wrong. Mine has 8 holes, upper 4 point in along with bottom 4 & the 2 corners are not rounded, they have an s curve to them, that's how I describe it. But I can't find them. Do you have a part number at all? Thanks.
 
It sounds like you have a later "hydraulic - lifter" head. These heads can be used on the earlier "solid-lifter" engines, but the valve cover takes a different gasket. Try a Fel-Pro VS50185C or Mahle VS39720
 
Kernel Sanders said:
There are two different style of valve cover gaskets in case your actually asking about the type per engine year...

One style for the earlier drool tube heads and one for the peanut style, later hydrolic heads as the cover and the bolting patterns are different for each.
Click to expand...
Not quite. From 75-80 the peanut heads used the same valve cover gasket as the drool tube heads did
 
2 different valve cover gaskets 60-80 and 81-87. The 60-80 has a 90 degree corner at the right front and the 81-87 has what I will call a inset corner in the same location also be aware that all slant six heads will fit all slant six blocks given the correct valve gear also the valve covers are different. And at this point in time who knows what is on your engine.
 
This is an old thread.
Rubber is almost impossible to find today.
The silicon gaskets will move out without something to tack it in place.
I have always used the rubber but I use studs to hold it in place.
 
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