Gasket material assortment

[NBN]

Minus the obligatory cereal boxes and beer case cardboard gaskets, what is your preferred assortment of gasket material for use on your cars? I know of the small felpro packs, but what do you seem to use more of?

 

[23ford]

The sheets of the old stuff I got from Dads........Find some at an old parts store

 

[L5wolvesf]

Kind of depends on what vehicles you have. I would have some cork along with the "cardboard" type. I would avoid the rolls.

 

[NBN]

Kind of depends on what vehicles you have. I would have some cork along with the "cardboard" type. I would avoid the rolls.

I've got a little of everything. Newest old car is 1973. Oldest old car is 1929, but I've been known to work on older.

 

[nadogail]

You need a good industrial hardware store, they will have, or can get, everything you need. If they can't get it; you are probably better off without it.

 

[wayne55]

Mcmaster Carr sells various types of gasket material in small sheets.

 

[NBN]

Mcmaster Carr sells various types of gasket material in small sheets.

Yep, they do. My question is what is the most common, or preferred material? I could spend a whole day going through choosing all of their offerings as well as a good chunk of my bank account.

 

[BillK]

I cannot remember the last time I had to make a gasket ???? Either for my own vehicles of which the newest is 1999 or for stuff at work which goes from the 40's to 2021. I have always been able to find what I need. What on earth are you working on that requires you to make a gasket ??

 

[NBN]

I cannot remember the last time I had to make a gasket ???? Either for my own vehicles of which the newest is 1999 or for stuff at work which goes from the 40's to 2021. I have always been able to find what I need. What on earth are you working on that requires you to make a gasket ??

Pre war cars mainly. Try finding a gasket for a transmission with a freewheeling unit for anything other than Packard.

 

[BillK]

Thats fa

Pre war cars mainly. Try finding a gasket for a transmission with a freewheeling unit for anything other than Packard.

Thats fair enough I am only working on engines and simply do not have a problem. That being said, I have had some Fel Pro in the past and never had an issue. As far as material I would want to replicate what was there from the factory. If it was cork originally that is what I would replace it with etc.

 

[Copymutt]

More than once I’ve used aluminum flashing to make head gaskets for small engines. Usually increases the compression over stock.

 

[Syberia]

Silicone. The one time I've had to make one, I cut up a silicone baking mat from Wal-Mart. It was for an old log splitter from the 80s? Trying to find one online was fruitless.

 

[Engineer61]

Looking at McMaster-Carr, I would get some of the oil-resistant Aramid/Buna-N for most gaskets, some of the oil-resistant Cork/Buna-N to replace any cork gaskets, some water-resistant Aramid/SBR for water pump gaskets and some of the Graphite High-Temp High-Pressure (850 degree) material for exhaust gaskets. That selection should handle everything in the drive line except a head gasket. I prefer 0.040" thick dead soft copper sheet for head gaskets.
Or you can just get some tubes of RTV and hi-temp RTV and glue everything together.

 

[NBN]

Looking at McMaster-Carr, I would get some of the oil-resistant Aramid/Buna-N for most gaskets, some of the oil-resistant Cork/Buna-N to replace any cork gaskets, some water-resistant Aramid/SBR for water pump gaskets and some of the Graphite High-Temp High-Pressure (850 degree) material for exhaust gaskets. That selection should handle everything in the drive line except a head gasket. I prefer 0.040" thick dead soft copper sheet for head gaskets.
Or you can just get some tubes of RTV and hi-temp RTV and glue everything together.

No RTV gaskets for me. Thank you for the info.

 

[toolchaser]

Some of the better hardware chains like Sentry carry a bag with several pieces of various gasket materials about 10" x 10"

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Cork. My dad has an old roll of it around here somewhere. If you are fixing older stuff it’s fine I would not use it on newer stuff though. RTV is next because really these days there aren’t many options. You can’t even find rolls of cork in the stores anymore to make gaskets. When I do make a cork gasket I always coat it with Indian Head gasket stuff that stuff will seal it up very well.