Best Head Gasket for my 427 SO

[steve meltzer]

Afraid I might hurt myself patting myself on the back for a great job with the intake manifold gasket, but I made the wrong diagnosis....the oil leak is from the right head gasket. Argggh, so it's back to the drawing board with a new cylinder head gasket. Which one is best for my 427 SO (yep, '65 block) with Edelbrock Aluminium heads? thanx, as I wipe the egg off of my face. steve

[blykins]

A Felpro 1020 is what I used the most....

BUT.....I have never personally seen an oil leak due to a faulty head gasket. The only passage that passes oil on an FE on the block deck is the oil feed to the heads.

If you're seeing oil drip from around the head, chances are it's from something above and is running down.

[MOTORHEAD]

Plus the oil drain hole at the rear, but I agree w/ Brent, intake. Where are you seeing the oil, front or back? Ck intake to block/head joints with mirror and flashlight. Run finger around same, any oil ? Know anyone with an oil dye leak test kit?

[steve meltzer]

The oil leak is in the right, rear corner....where it was before. The idiot with the oil dye test kit.....would be me. Let me find some time to test this and report back. I couldn't possibly be lucky enough to have a VC leak, could I?! thanx and i'll let you know. s

[olddog]

Given that the valve cover sits partly on the intake and partly on the head, yes, you could be that lucky. Especially if the mating surface where the two meet has a dip or one is taller than the other.

I had a 86 Bronco II with a 2.9 Ltr that was the same design. The intake valve cover rail was 1/8" higher than the head. A generous bead of the right stuff was the only way I was ever able to get it to seal.

[Grubby]

If the intake isn't machined to the correct angles to match the heads a VC leak is quite likely.

There should be no step from the intake VC gasket surface to the head VC gasket surface.

I had a 428 built by a well known shop that leaked and I ended up having to have the intake milled quite a bit. Problem was then solved.

John

[steve meltzer]

OK, I got out there and with a clean paper towel, I found no evidence of a VC leak, and for the first minute or so, no leaking at all. Began to think I was a %*&^#@&* genius, but the leak started again. Same place and it's oily, but looks more like mud...not the somewhat shiny appearance of pure oil. Wonder if there's coolant in there, too? Tried to take some pictures, but it was difficult to do so. However, in the photos, you are looking at a mirror shot, where the red arrow is the intake manifold, the yellow the juncture of the head and the block, where the oil puddles. thanx. (BTW, the intake manifold gasket I used was the expensive, metal reinforced one from Fel-Pro + I used a generous bead of "The Right Stuff" on either end, no gasket. Intake gasket sealed to head/intake on "marked edges" with what is essentially Hondabond.) thanx. steve

[steve meltzer]

I'll go back out to the car to verify this, but I believe the leak is at the 3-way juncture of the head, the intake (argggh) and the block. This comports with the experience of the guys with way more experience than I. Any recs to prevent this on the "re-do"? thanx s

[520SC]

If the substance looks like mud, then it's likely a mixture of oil and coolant, which would normally indicate a blown head gasket. However, a blown head gasket isn't likely to result in liquid leaking out of the engine. Normally, it's from a water port to an oil port, or from a water port to a cylinder, and is confined within the engine. Have you checked your oil dipstick to see if there's evidence of coolant in the crank case?

If you do have to change a head gasket, I'd recommend using a Cometic head gasket. Cometic (multi-layered steel) head gaskets are expensive, but they're the very best you'll find. You'll find them in many NHRA Pro Stock engines, and nitrous/blown/turbo Pro Mod engines.

[blykins]

Cometics are nice but unless the block/heads were machined for them, adding a set would be a no-no. It's best to use a good old regular head gasket.

As a quick FE-intake-install recap:

With no gaskets on the heads, mock up the intake first and make sure that there are no gaps between the head/intake which would indicate an angle mismatch, which would require machining the intake flanges.

In addition, all head gasket tabs that stick out into the lifter valley need to be bent down so that they won't hold the intake manifold up.

Intake gaskets need to be glued to the heads on FE's. You can use your choice of poison.....Right Stuff, TA-31, Dow Corning 732 (what I use), RTV, whatever you want. But the bottom line is that you need to glue the intake gaskets to the heads with a bead around each port (both air and water) and then put another layer of sealant on the gaskets before you set the intake down.

Cork end gaskets are a no-no. Use silicone/sealant there too.

The front and rear head drains on an FE angle right at the china walls. If you don't have sufficient silicone coverage in the right spots, the oil drains will push oil right out.

[steve meltzer]

Thanx so much. I followed the instructions of Mr. Lykins, except I didn't make a "dry run" with the intake on the engine before it was glued, and, I didn't check the head gaskets tags. I'm confident that the leak is at the 3 corner junction. thanx. s

[steve meltzer]

checking the dipstick showed nothing of value. can't tell if there's water in the pan or not. will pull the intake (again!!) when I get a chance. too much on my plate for now. thanx s

[Large Arbor]

I did not use any intake gaskets or seals on my FE, just TA-31 on the intake. The head gaskets I used were Cometic. I did have .004 taken off of the aluminum Edelbrock heads. The intake and heads don't leak oil, my pan seal is another's story. It's a nickel sized drip.

Phil

[steve meltzer]

thanx for your info...so, you just used TA-31, no gasket. Permatex makes an anaerobic sealant 51813. wonder if you could use just that, no gasket? Also, wonder if the intake or heads need to be machined. how would i tell? s

[steve meltzer]

oh yeah, and one more thing. this is an aluminum (Edelbrock) cylinder head, and Edelbrock aluminum intake as well. Cast iron block. Still, RTV, no gasket? thanx. s

[Large Arbor]

Ok, so mine is a Shelby Aluminum block with aluminum Edelbrock heads and aluminum intake. I have the FE rocker assembly and the machine shop just did a cleanup on the heads which amounted to .004. That was within the tolerances of the builder so it just meant torquing the rocker arm down correctly since I was using the Cometic head gasket. It has some thickness to it. I simply put a good bit of TA-31 on the intake and the area where it met the head. When I set the intake on the heads it slid in tight. I torqued down and waited 24 hours and it sealed up nicely.I do have some valve cover leaks though, albeit small.

Phil

[steve meltzer]

Phil, do i understand you right...you didn't use an intake manifold gasket, just RTV? s

[Large Arbor]

Steve,

You are correct, no intake gaskets at all. I just put a bead of TA-31 all around. The intake sat down on that stuff and then torqued. Let it strengthen overnight. TA-31 is like a gasket glue, it holds together and seals.

Phil

[steve meltzer]

Phil, Great thanx. Feels unAmerican to skip the gasket! not sure my balls are that big, but it leaked with the gasket, so i'm thinkin' of it! s

[Large Arbor]

Steve,

By the way, I felt the same way until I called Edelbrock. They suggested no gasket and just RTV. TA 31 is the best. It's expensive but works better than the standard permatex brands. Local Ford dealer should have it.

Phil