How much rope seal do you leave proud?

[RalphM]

I see a lot of different measurements. The little gasket that came with this as a guide is really thin, .015. I don’t trust it, how much should I leave above the pan and timing cover?
I think I should least be an eighth of an inch.The cork gasket measures about .080”. I know the rope will smash down pretty good.

[Step-down]

Best gasket kit Supplys a razor knife and a thin wood shim as a trim guide , seems to work good .

[19Fordy]

How thick is a thin wood shim guide (1/16, 3/32, 1/8, 1/4)?

Ralph: Read everything related to oil pan/crank rope seals you see here. There are lots of thoughts. Some kits give you instructions, some do not.

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+...hrome&ie=UTF-8

[flatjack9]

1/32 to 1/16"

[deuce_roadster]

Also, there is better material then that white rope.

[Ronnieroadster]

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That's the front rope seal the correct way to install is do not cut anything off the ends. What I do is use a round rod to rub along the seal surface and press down at the same time. You will find the seal pictured will now be a bit lower and actually seal correctly. The ends of the rope seal should touch each other this means the pan gasket should be trimmed so it sits around the outer edges of the rope seal. I have never seen a little thin gasket to be used as a guide for the front rope seal in a gasket set. The rear main seal will have a thin guide used for the purpose of trimming if its the gray black graphite style rear main seal.
Ronnieroadster

[19Fordy]

That makes sense. Thanks.

[RalphM]

I did push it down/ rolled it with a socket. It doesn’t seem like I’ll be able to get a whole lot more of that excess to go down in there.
So how much will it crush down?

I like the push pins idea, I Will definitely order some of those.
So I read that article, but I did not see the answer to whether the pan gasket goes under the rear cork gasket or just butts up to it. I plan on putting the cork seal in place first, which I think you have to. So it would almost be impossible to put the pan gasket underneath it. So I’m guessing just butt it up and put some RTV on it?

[tubman]

The last Fel-Pro gasket set I used also had a trim guide, razor knife, and instructions.

[ford38v8]

I jam crammed mine in as best I could, which left big mushrooms at the two ends. I just trimmed the excess mushroom and left the rest, ...Been a while, but I think it was about 3/16" proud at that point. I expected trouble mating pan and timing gear cover, but no problem, and no leaks.

[flatjack9]

Originally Posted by tubman

The last Fel-Pro gasket set I used also had a trim guide, razor knife, and instructions.

That's for the rear seal.

[Ronnieroadster]

Originally Posted by RalphM

I did push it down/ rolled it with a socket. It doesn’t seem like I’ll be able to get a whole lot more of that excess to go down in there.
So how much will it crush down?

I like the push pins idea, I Will definitely order some of those.
So I read that article, but I did not see the answer to whether the pan gasket goes under the rear cork gasket or just butts up to it. I plan on putting the cork seal in place first, which I think you have to. So it would almost be impossible to put the pan gasket underneath it. So I’m guessing just butt it up and put some RTV on it?

Trim the pan gasket around the outer edges of the rope seals. Then use a small amount RTV only around the outer area of the rope seal this will seal everything perfectly.

[tubman]

Originally Posted by flatjack9

That's for the rear seal.

Ooops! I used it for both ends on the last engine I built and no leaks!

However, when I dropped the pan to replace the flakey Speedway oil pump with a genuine Ford unit, it developed a slight leak in the rear seal. I don't think these were designed for more than one time use.

[J Franklin]

I think the gasket set quality has slipped because I always just used the rope seals as supplied and they weren't meant to be modified. I even remember note inserts saying not to trim them.

[RalphM]

Well I went back at it and was able to push it in a bit more. About 1/8” to 3/16” above the pan flange. I think it should push together without any trimming, like Ronnie said, when tightening. These pans are not flimsy like some cars nowadays!
Thanks!

[Automotive Stud]

Am I the only one who was taught to soak those in oil before installing them?

[alchemy]

No, you aren't.

[RalphM]

I soaked them in New oil for three days.

[Bored&Stroked]

Originally Posted by Automotive Stud

Am I the only one who was taught to soak those in oil before installing them?

I've never done it any other way . . . or you risk burning the seal up right when you start the engine.

[Fritz]

As for the rear main cork seal, I believe the cork pan seal is laid down, then the rear cork seal goes over that. Am I correct with that?