A final question for now on my '31 project: To seal the oil pan, I've applied the gaskets to the block and bearing end caps with Permatex gasket cement. So that the pan might be removed in future, my plan for now is to seal the oil pan flange to the gasket with hard grease, perhaps wheel bearing grease if that could form an effective barrier against oil seeping out. I plan to seal both sides of the side cover with gasket cement, as these seem to be prone to leaking from what I've heard. I plan to treat the valve cover similar to the oil pan; cement on one side, grease on the other. Question is, what kind of grease works best, and am I more or less on the right track in my thinking on this? Thanks as always for any insights. Andrew
I have used Permatex No. 2 Form a gasket in the corners and No. 3 as flexible coat for the gasket faces. Am not aware of any leaks as long as the timing cover and oil pan are straight.
How sweet the roar of a Chevy four
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Hello Andrew Baron,
I'm not aware of the practice of bonding gaskets to the engine block machined surfaces to allow the COVERS to be gasket free for installation and removal purposes. To me, I've seen the opposite. Here's a past quote by MotorTrend:
The Right Way to Replace Valve Covers Gaskets - MotorTrend
You might think about double checking the Chevy repair manuals thought on engine gasket installation. Straighten your engine covers gasket surfaces at the workbench as level as possible. Apply sealer and gasket to the covers, tape gasket to hold position til sealer sets up. The engines flat machined surfaces should seal with the gasket dry with the exception at joints where gaps between mating surfaces would need help with sealant.
@harry-truppner Thanks for the article link. For the oil pan gasket, the curved cork pieces, given a choice of which surface to bond to, make more sense to be secured to the bearing caps, as the curved flanges at the ends of the oil pan are very narrow, and the gasket surfaces machined into the bearing caps have that flat channel with outer ledges to further retain the cork. I did place dabs of sealer where the felt side gasket pieces meet the cork, prior to temporarily "dry" fitting the pan in place (no sealer on the oil pan flanges), to get everything seated. On all covers, I've checked for and corrected flatness and full compliance to the machined surfaces of the block and head, just as you've suggested.