oil pan and gasket installation madness

[PotvinGuy]

Am I the only one who dreads installing the oil pan and gasket? I suppose if you have a lift and a friend or two it's easy. But just me, on the ground, wrestling the pan, the gasket slipping...there must be a better way. How do you keep the gasket on the pan? I've tried everything but super glue. Or should I glue the gasket to the block? Help!

 

[putz]

I have used thread and tied it to the holes in the pan this works pretty well. Also get a one piece gasket.

 

[ellis8500]

My oil pan and gasket came with plastic pins that screwed into the block and held the gasket in place when I installed the pan. They also held the pan in place. Put in the bolts except for the pin locations. Unscrewed the pins and installed remaining bolts. You might find these at a parts store.

 

[tfeverfred]

Maybe my problem solving with my valve covers can help. I've got 4 sets of covers and like to switch them out, when I get bored with a certain look. I always dreaded lining up the cover bolts with the gasket and my heads. Plus, sometimes the bolts would back off and I always had to check them for tightness.

So, I found some studs on Speedways site. The studs screw into the head and the valve cover is tightened down by a nylock nut. When I go to swap covers, I just use a T-handled wrench to spin the nuts off. It's easy to line the gasket up because it just fits on the studs. Gasket doesn't move and changing covers is a snap.

In your case, you could use studs in your block and use sealant to keep the gasket in place on your oil pan. Seal the gasket on the pan, put the pan in place and start a couple nuts to hold it in place. Then put on the remaining nuts.

I recently switched to a regular nuts and lock washers, since I swap covers so much, but for an oil pan, nylocks would do well. Hope this helps.

 

[iajjpop]

I have used threads for years , work great..

 

[RPM]

yep sewing thread

 

[Keeper]

I recently went through this. I bought the Felpro 1 piece oil pan gasket. came with these little plastic studs that hold the pan/gasket in place as you put in all the bolts.

Damn neat idea and made the job sooooo much more enjoyable and best of all NO LEAKS!

 

[PotvinGuy]

OK, I'm gonna try the thread, and if that doesn't work, I'll get the studs. I noticed the gasket has center line ridges and so does the pan. That can't be good, the two ridges are slipping off each other, so I'm sanding the ridges off the gasket. Here's a million-dollar opportunity: a pan and gasket set permanently bonded together. When it starts to leak in 5 years, toss it and get a new one. Can you believe the SBC is 60 years old and no one has figgered out how to keep the damn thing from leaking?!

 

[Mike]

3M 08001 weatherstrip adhesive will work wonders and won't require you to compromise the sealing bead on the gasket. Ask yourself this question - would the gasket manufacturers bother with sealing beads, if they were unnecessary?

Carefully clean the pain rails with lacquer thinner or acetone (NOT fingernail polish remover), then follow the instructions on the tube. Patience is a virtue, so let the adhesive cure properly, before trying to jam things together. Once the gasket is firmly glued to the pan, apply a very small bead of silicone down the length of the gasket and then bolt it to the block. Apply silicone sealer at the front and rear end seal areas and then use a wet finger to trowel the sealer in. The gasket will stay in place, will work properly without being compromised and you will have "figgered out how to keep the damn thing from leaking." And all without you spending time making things harder than they have to be.

 

[PotvinGuy]

Thanks Mike. Anything to stop the voices in my head...

 

[Mike]

There have actually been several good suggestions in this thread, just grab one and go with it. Using sewing thread works really well, if you don't have any weatherstrip adhesive. Tie the gasket on and it cannot go anywhere. Once you get the bolts started, snip the thread loops and you're on your way.

 

[Screaming Metal]

What Mike said.

Clean things with acetone, I use regular allenhead set screws, put a trim off a small piece of 1/16 rubber line, put it in the bottom of the hole for the setscrew to bottom out agianst. Locktite the setscrew into place or use the ARP ballnose studs, after gasket is stuck onto the pan, install. I glue the gasket to the pan side, so when the pan comes off, the gasket is still on it.
Install with nylok nuts.... I don't like crimp nuts, they're too tight on the small bolts, I've sheared bolts off with them. Nyloks won't back off. I use this on all our drag motor rentals....
This may help.... http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/sbc-single-piece-oil-pan-gasket-installation-219210.html

 

[PotvinGuy]

Man, this should be done as a tech article. Great advice from all. I have a Felpro 1-piece and glued it to the pan with 3M weatherstrip glue. Next day I added the silicone and used two studs to locate the pan, and held it up with a scissor jack while I put in all the bolts. I'll have it running in a few days. I like the ballnose stud and nylock idea. Shouldn't have to redo that for a long time.

 

[Russell 33]

Mike,
Am I correct in assuming that you put silicone on the front and rear end seals before you install the pan, not after? "Front and rear end seals" would be between the gasket and timing chain cover and the rear main, right? So there is silicone everywhere between the upper surface of the one piece gasket and the mating surfaces?

 

[Mike]

If you are using a one-piece gasket, a small bead of silicone sealer on the top of the end seals and a slightly more generous bead on the bottom of the end seals will generally suffice. Lay up everything dry, to see how it all looks. That will tell you where you will need to use more or less sealer.

I've successfully sealed up motors with no rubber end seals used, at all. Toss in the side rail gaskets, bolt on the pan and then stitch in the front and rear openings with silicone sealer.

The trick to remember is cleanliness is next to Godliness. Silicone sealer will never work on an oily surface, so be sure the timing cover and rear main cap are bone-dry clean. Use acetone or brake cleaner, to make sure you have managed to clean off all the oil.

 

[Russell 33]

If you are using a one-piece gasket, a small bead of silicone sealer on the top of the end seals and a slightly more generous bead on the bottom of the end seals will generally suffice. Lay up everything dry, to see how it all looks. That will tell you where you will need to use more or less sealer.

I've successfully sealed up motors with no rubber end seals used, at all. Toss in the side rail gaskets, bolt on the pan and then stitch in the front and rear openings with silicone sealer.

The trick to remember is cleanliness is next to Godliness. Silicone sealer will never work on an oily surface, so be sure the timing cover and rear main cap are bone-dry clean. Use acetone or brake cleaner, to make sure you have managed to clean off all the oil.

 

[Russell 33]

Thanks Mike,
So you do apply sealer after the pan has been installed as you did when you used no end seals at all.

 

[Dino]

Russell , I would use the 2 end seals in your case because its something you don't pull the motor out that often. We did the same thing on a dirt race car that mike said and it did work for awile but it did leak do to bottom end crank pressure. Just my 2 cents. I have not used the thread trick but think thats the way to go . Best advice is just take your time with it .

 

[Mike]

Thanks Mike,
So you do apply sealer after the pan has been installed as you did when you used no end seals at all.

No need to do it that way, no. But you can, if you prefer. It's a cat you can skin however you like.

 

[meangreen]

I have used the thread method several times. I even kept a spool of thread in my tool box back when I was racing stock cars because we frequently dropped the pan for bearing inspection/replacement. One thing I do differently, though - I don't use silicone sealer... My dad always used Permatex #2, so I did too and always had good luck with it. Then the counter man at the local parts house gave me a tube of that blue crap several years ago and said "Try this, you'll like it", so I tried the silicone twice on my stock car and had leakage problems both times! I went back to good ol' Permatex #2, no more problems, and that's all I use.