odd side oiler block markings??

[KobraKarl]

Hi all,


I spent the day pulling off my carbs,rcker shafts,and old manifold in preparation for the mid-rise manifold that arrived this morning.

while cleaning up the gasket surface in the valley front and rear I noticed someone had taken a center-punch and made an indentation about every inch (somewhat random) along the top of the block at the valley gasket surface 12 or 13 at each end.

Also stamped at the corners is the letters FC and in another BF.

There is also about 10 or 15 little nicks apparently hand made around the perimeter of all the "valve keepers"

The block casting # is C5AE-H if that helps

Do these marks have any significance ???

Thanks , Karl

[SCOBRAC]

The center punch holes are a way to secure the cork gaskets from squeezing out from betewwn the intake and the block as they will tend to do.. Many builders simply use RTV to mate the surfaces to not deal with the problem at all.. Either way you go you should use RTV where the surfaces come together from the manifold and heads to the block and anywhere oil may migrate from the heads to the block (at the top of the head/block surface under the valve cover gasket) and be sure to trim off any additional intake gasket where it protrudes from the head into the plane of the valve cover gasket..

As for the nicks.. I can't imagine why those would be there enless that is a trademark for those keepers.

[KobraKarl]

Micheal,


Ahh! gasket gripper ,that makes perfect sense. as for the keepers, the nicks are deep ,semi regular and definately handmade.

RTV?? similar or same as copper high heat silicone?

Thanks, Karl