Club Cobra - Valve Cover Gaskets

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Valve Cover Gaskets

Has anyone had experience with a brand/type of valve over gasket for an FE with cast aluminum valve covers that does not leak installed dry?

I just found these, and while expensive sound promising.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SCE-234176/

There is an outfit called DSC Motorsports that sells extra thick cork based valve cover gaskets for the FE motor. They are much cheaper than the ones you show from Summit. The link is http://www.dscmotorsport.com/ I recommend their use with the valve cover adapter kits I sell and they work quite well. If you are using cast aluminum valve covers on a FE motor and are certain that the gasket mating surfaces of the covers are perfectly flat, usually any gasket you use should produce a satisfactory seal. The usual place for leaks to occur on a FE motor is at the joint between the intake manifold and the cylinder head. In most cases, a dab of Permatex UltraBlack silicone in each joint prior to applying the gasket will solve that problem assuming that the intake and cylinder heads are properly aligned to begin with. It might be of interest to know just where along the valve cover the leak is occurring. Lastly, using studs instead of bolts to secure the valve covers along with spreader bars might also help.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperHart (Post 1062513)

Thanks for the advice! One question. I don't have adaptors now. Do they help with the seal or are you just mentioning it in case I needed them? I have the Shelby cast aluminum valve covers.

Has anyone ever used contact cement on the gaskets? I just talked to a guy who has been doing it for years successfully. . . . he puts it on the gasket, waits for it to dry and assembles everything and is leak free and it comes off easily.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pusherfans (Post 1062509)

I actually think these look pretty good. Anyone use them?

Pusher, to answer your question, if you already have a FE motor you don't need adapters. The adapters allow use of the FE pentroof valve cover on a small block Ford motor. Some Cobra enthusiasts like using the FE valve cover in order to make their small block powered replica look more like the original FE powered one. Using Permatex HiTack adhesive to bond the gasket to the valve cover isn't a bad idea as it removes a potential source of leaks. I still say that the most common area for a leak in a FE motor is the joint between the intake manifold and the cylinder head.
A dab of sealant in that joint front and rear of the motor should help eliminate that source.