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can't get exhaust to seal up

kelly

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I saw some one with the same problem as mine.
I had the exhaust manifold shaved and used felt pro gaskets/
Then used header gaskets with red gasket material.
Nothing is working any help well be help full.
there on my 62 Dart 440 with a 440.
 
Double gasket it and your problem will be solved. I could never wrap my head around this, then one time 15 years ago on my single turbo 5.0 mustang I owned, I tried it and haven't put a set of headers or manifolds on anything without double gasketing it since
 
Copper gasket.......I swear by it!
 
http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/threads/valve-cover-gaskets.87565/#post-910218941

i followed the instructions posted by dvw in the thread

my combo engine is a 440 with iron heads and had the stamped-steel valve covers which i ended up getting rid of

i tried different combos but ended up using some mancini racing aluminum valve covers and thick blue moroso valve cover gaskets (also purchased from mancini)

dvw posted to use 3m weatherstrip adhesive to glue the gasket to the cover. i thoroughly cleaned the covers with rubbing alcohol and let them dry before applying weatherstrip. i ithen layed a bead on the cover and then a bead on the gasket, let them setup for a few minutes, then mated the two together. i put some electronics engineering books and some managerial statistics books on top of the valvecover/gasket combo for a few days

in regards to the tops of my heads, i removed the old stamped steel covers and soaked up the oil with some paper towels over night. i then made a cup of engine degreaser and scrubbed the tops of the heads and soaked up excess degreaser. i did a few iterations of this process. i then moved onto cleaning the tops of the heads with rubbing alcohol using qtips to help get hard to reach areas. this process took a few days before i was satisfied that all was clean and dry.

i then moved onto applying a thin coat of black rtv to the top surface of the head and let it dry. i came back the next day and applied another one. i inspected the bead and ensured it did not peel off.

now came time to install the covers. i applied a thin coat of black rtv to the surface of the gasket that will meet the head. then i installed each valve cover to thier respective heads with some arp fasteners and torqued finger tight and then some - very specific. i think 8-11 inch pounds

i let it all sit and fired up the 440 the next day. i inspected the engine with various mirrors and some flashlights.

it took a few days but no leaks.


thank you dvw





ooops. did you say exhaust?
 
Stock manifold???

I have never used gaskets on the manifolds, ever.
 
If it's flat, and the manifold is sitting flat ont he head, it will seal with no gasket. Check for interference at the manifold and the head bolts. Especially on an earlier chassis with a later engine... Check for something hitting.
 
If it's flat, and the manifold is sitting flat ont he head, it will seal with no gasket. Check for interference at the manifold and the head bolts. Especially on an earlier chassis with a later engine... Check for something hitting.
out of curiosity, how big is your exhaust system ?
 
Is the head flat? Run a large mill file over the manifold. Or use a straight edge with a flash light on the back side. I don't use gaskets either. A small amount of RTV works well but there is no substitute for good fit. Are you sure the leak isnt between the manifold and the pipe? You can you a stethoscope or piece of rubber hose to listen and pin point the exact leak spot, works very well.
Doug
 
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Sometimes there's a small crack in the manifold and it's sounds like it's between the head and manifold but it's not.
 
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