Exhaust Gaskets 427 Med Riser
 

Ok, FE guys, i have a friend with a ERA 427 with an actual 427 Medium riser FE in it.

I has side pipes and we are having difficulty finding exhaust gaskets that will seal from the Ports to the header tubes.

Any tips >?

Steve

I use a set of raised boss dead soft copper exhaust/header gaskets and have no problems. I believe they are SCE gaskets. I tried other "composition" gaskets prior to without any luck.

Dave

What is the issue?

Do the ports line up but the gaskets are not holding? or is it a port alignment issue?

If its just a sealing issue, my advice is to lube the bolts with antiseize with a fresh gasket, then tighten them all evenly like you would a head or intake, until they are good and tight

Then get the motor hot, and immediately retighten all of them while hot. You'll swear and get burned, but its been the best way for me. I basically use whatever gasket I have and "knock on wood" have never had a gasket sealing problem due to the gasket material

Finally, can you post your head casting number if its a port location issue? I am surely not saying you dont know what you have, but I have seen guys use C8AE-H heads with a different exhaust port and call them med risers due to the high intake port location (like a med riser, just a little smaller)

For what it`s worth , my other car is a 427 dual quad Galaxie with original cast iron headers . I use hi temp RTV , make sure all surfaces are true and then torque cold and allow the sealant to partially cure . Then fully torque and let the engine set overnight . Start the car and bring it to temperature and then retorque .
Never had a leak ... and this is what I will do on my ERA Ponds 482 , however , I have heard good things about Remflex gaskets out of Washington State . Part number I was given for my engine ( Cobra ) was RF 3047 . Their phone # is : 360-492-3100 .

they are C5AE heads, I think we are in for some permatex. I am thinking the ports are not straight (warped) and the header tubes are not 110% flat either. I am looking for asbestos gloves :)

Well, here's my opinion, take it for what you paid LOL

If you cant seal it with a tight bolt and a good gasket, you'll have to fix the sealing surfaces.

Permatex or any other sealant IMO isnt going to last if the gasket crush is insufficient.

If it were me, on the exhaust side especially, I'd focus on lubing the threads and the hot retorque trick I said and ignore the goop. If after that (or maybe even at disassembly this time), you arent seeing a uniform gasket compression, you need to fix the real problem

However, a good gasket with a very focused even tightening, with lubed threads, can make a world of difference. Keep in mind, tightening headers can be a pain, I keep about 6-8 different wrenches I have aquired over the years with very small box ends. Some work on some cars, some work on others, but usually a combination of all gets every car.

Another good rule of thumb, "If you are tightening a header bolt with an open end wrench, its probably not tight" If that is the case, clearance or dimple the header nicely so you can get some sort of box on it. All 8 tightened evenly with a variety of box end wrenches susually is the answer to all problems

Now with exhaust manifolds its a little different story than headers, RTV can actually act as a but of a lube between two machined surfaces and let them settle together. (no gaskets at all)

However, even those, if not flat wont seal, regardless of the amount of goo you slather on them

One unrelated question, what do you do for a living? AF here, saw the live-fire signature.

I had the same problem with my ERA when it was new until I checked the flange surfaces. They were not flat. One by one I trued them up with a belt sander and have never had a problem since. I just use Felpro #1442 gaskets without any sealer. After a couple heat cycles just re-tighten and you should be good to go.

The answer was the Graphite ones from WA.

.19 uncompressed, .09 compressed. FIXED EVERYTHING!!!! My Friends ERA now has no leaks.!!!!! awesome!!

Panivia,
Wondering what part number you used. Bobcat listed a part number 3047 but internet catalog shows RF3015 for the 427 Med riser.

PANIVIA .... glad to hear you fixed the problem . The RemFlex gaskets are designed to do just that .... compress to compensate for uneven flanges . As I said about my Galaxie , the manifold must be true and parallel as must the ports on the heads . The original manifolds from Ford on those engines back in the early sixties didn`t use any gaskets . The main advantage , to me , of the RTV is that it works and can be trimmed so it doesn`t show ... so it looks like an original installation ( I show the car sometimes ) .
As far as the part number being different from what is shown on the internet , I had the same problem and called the company to get a part number specific to my application . They told me that not all of their part numbers are on their site.
Good people to deal with and they know their product .

You can also double up the regular composite gaskets. I've had good luck doing that.