Welcome to Club Hot Rod!  The premier site for everything to do with Hot Rod, Customs, Low Riders, Rat Rods, and more. 

  •  » Members from all over the US and the world!
  •  » Help from all over the world for your questions
  •  » Build logs for you and all members
  •  » Blogs
  •  » Image Gallery
  •  » Many thousands of members and hundreds of thousands of posts! 

YES! I want to register an account for free right now!  p.s.: For registered members this ad will NOT show

 
Like Tree3Likes
  • 1 Post By glennsexton
  • 1 Post By 34_40
  • 1 Post By Matthyj

Thread: Anyone have a good Header gasket recommendation for the FE390? Mine keep failing
          
   
   

Reply To Thread
Results 1 to 9 of 9
  1. #1
    stotzbotz is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Tallahassee
    Posts
    74

    Anyone have a good Header gasket recommendation for the FE390? Mine keep failing

     



    Anyone have a good Header gasket recommendation for the FE390? Mine keep failing. After removing the headers to take my heads back for repair I'm noticing a blown out place on the back part of the passenger side and on the front part of the drivers side. I recently bought a set of Mr. Gasket header gaskets that were supposed to be thicker and better for header applications but I was a little skeptical of the material used as they seems more papery than I would think a header gasket would be. Anybody had any good experiences with any? I need to get some coming this way while my heads are being repaired. Many thanks in advance.

  2. #2
    NTFDAY's Avatar
    NTFDAY is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    Springfield
    Car Year, Make, Model: '66 Mustang, 76 Corvette
    Posts
    5,334

    A few years ago I had a 72 pickup with a .30 over 360 with 390 DOVE heads and headers and I used stock Fel-Pro gaskets and never had a leak.
    Ken Thomas
    NoT FaDe AwaY and the music didn't die
    The simplest road is usually the last one sought
    Wild Willie & AA/FA's The greatest show in drag racing

  3. #3
    Rrumbler is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Las Vegas
    Car Year, Make, Model: Sans hot rod, sold the truck.
    Posts
    1,207

    Percy's 66053 Seal4Good Gasket - Performance Parts

    I have heard a lot of folks swear these are good.

    .
    Rrumbler, Aka: Hey you, "Old School", Hairy, and other unsavory monickers.

    Twistin' and bangin' on stuff for about sixty or so years; beat up and busted, but not entirely dead - yet.

  4. #4
    jerry clayton's Avatar
    jerry clayton is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Bartlett
    Posts
    6,831

    Factory applications didn't use a gasket on the exhaust


    Did you look at condition of the stem seals?????

  5. #5
    glennsexton's Avatar
    glennsexton is offline CHR Member/Contributor Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Tigard
    Car Year, Make, Model: 63 Nova SS
    Posts
    2,572

    Quote Originally Posted by Rrumbler View Post
    Percy's 66053 Seal4Good Gasket - Performance Parts

    I have heard a lot of folks swear these are good.

    .
    While I have not used these, the soft aluminum sounds like a good idea. I never use gaskets with stock manifolds as they are machined to a near perfect surface and torqued as an assembly to the heads before the engine goes in the car. After years of having non-metallic gaskets fail (as you have described) I always use copper gaskets with headers. I also use Stage 8 stainless locking bolts. I know they're expensive but the combination of the copper gaskets and the Stage 8 bolts sure works well and I have never had a problem with gasket failure of loose bolts (which can lead to the gasket failure).

    My 2 cents..
    GS
    Mike P likes this.
    "Where the people fear the government you have tyranny. Where the government fears the people you have liberty." John Basil Barnhil

  6. #6
    Hotrod46's Avatar
    Hotrod46 is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Vidalia
    Car Year, Make, Model: 1946 Ford Coupe, 1962 Austin Healey 3000
    Posts
    1,496

    Quote Originally Posted by Rrumbler View Post
    Percy's 66053 Seal4Good Gasket - Performance Parts

    I have heard a lot of folks swear these are good.

    .
    I have used them on SBC applications. I never had a failure. They may require retightening a couple of times, but once they take a set, they are great.

  7. #7
    34_40's Avatar
    34_40 is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    New Bedford
    Car Year, Make, Model: 34 Ford 3W Coupe Replica
    Posts
    14,606

    I'll echo some other folks. Make sure the surfaces at the heads and manifolds are spotless and bolt them together, watch the torque value also.

    If you are actually using headers from hooker or dougs etc etc etc... then the flange that goes against the head needs to be as straight and flat as possible, You can use a 4 or 6 foot level as a straight edge and if you can see daylight between the 2, you'll need to lower the highspots. The collectors - I have used the aluminum gasket from Earls ( I think it was) and it worked like a charm.
    glennsexton likes this.

  8. #8
    Matthyj's Avatar
    Matthyj is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Location
    Clinton
    Car Year, Make, Model: '32 Ford Hi Boy, '37 wildrod sedan
    Posts
    561

    I have tried most including Earls, Percys and Mr gasket and prefer a brand called Remflex, not saying you will have any problems with the Percys either as they where decent, but the remflex are thick graphite and compress for warped flanges, also since they are graphite they allow minor movement with expansion from the head to the header, I had problems sealing small tube headers with a blown motor (lots of heat and back pressure) and thats what I landed with.
    glennsexton likes this.
    Why is mine so big and yours so small, Chrysler FirePower

  9. #9
    stotzbotz is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Tallahassee
    Posts
    74

    Those Remflex gaskets sound like the way to go. When I got this car the guy used to race it and had longer than usual style headers on it. I'm trying to keep those going and they are vintage but sound great. I probably need the extra thickness and sponginess of these gaskets even though the headers are in pretty good shape. They appear to be a little more expensive but it would be worth it if I didn't have to take these headers off again for awhile.

Reply To Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
Links monetized by VigLink