What to use for head gasket sealer?

[3spd on floor]

hey guys

i'm puttin together a 302 with TFS TW heads and i cant figure out what to use and where to put the sealer on the gaskets.

i've got an older book that recommends painting the gaskets with a high temp aluminum paint for the sealer. anyone done this?

i've also heard that you're just supposed to put sealer around the water passages. if so what kind of sealer should i use?

thanks a ton

-TJ

 

[Mike92GT]

The headgaskets themselves really don't require any sealer. I think thats something they used to do back in the day. You will need a little bit of silicone when installing the lower intake. I like Ultra Black RTV for that.

 

[Mike92GT]

Also make sure to use some teflon thread sealer paste on the short head bolts or they will seep coolant.

 

[feifong]

There is a head gasket spray called copper spray what does that do.

 

[stang&2Birds]

The head gasket itself is simple. Get an FMS head gasket that has the silicon sealer around the water passages. Use 2+ cut off bolts (get bolts at Home Depot) as a guide "pins" when you put on the heads. Make sure they are not too long or short.

The heads then just "plop" right on. Make sure you use sealer on the head bolts that go into the water passages.

Use Ultra-blue or Ultra-copper instead of the stupid cork end gaskets that go under the lower intake.

Getting the gasket between the lower intake and head can be a slight pain. It may want to move. If needed, use a *little* Indian Head gasket stuff to hold the gasket in place. I used a *very light* coat of Ultra-copper on that gasket and the front/back passages for coolant. I do mean *very light*.

The biggest thing that people have problems with is improper cleaning. ALL surfaces should look *brand new*. Use a light "steel tooth brush", scotch pad, and/or Acetone to get a "like factory new finish" on ALL mating surfaces. Sorry, leaving even a very small speck of gasket can ruin your day and engine.

Your eyes and fingers are your friends in making sure that the mating surfaces are clean. I love Acetone because it helps to high-light any surface problems (like a "sliver" of gasket material still left on the block) as the Acetone wets them and then drys.

 

[3spd on floor]

thanks guys. as for cleaning everything, well its all brand new, so a wipe down with acetone is about all i need to do.

 

[rd]

The head gaskets should not need any sealer.

Put a small bead of rtv at the junction of the head and the block at each end to seal the intake.

Either rtv or the end seals can be used with the manifold.

Hi Tack sealer/adhesive is the best stuff to hold things in place, like the intake gaskets. A couple spots should hold it while the intake is installed.

For some reason, apparently you still used copper spray on things like Yamaha Waverunner heads.