Hey Rick,
I think you are correct about the gasket misalignment.
I respectfully disagree about the cause: the gasket was glued in using 3M trim adhesive in a very thin layer and was correctly positioned. It lasted 15K miles. If it had been improperly positioned the problem, logically, would have shown up right away instead of three years later.
I believe the gasket moved during heat cycling. Look at the other two engines - the FE and the 351 - and you will see similar movement.
Also, there are four other respondents (above) whose engines look exactly the same after using these same gaskets. That's a total of seven engines assembled by competent, sentient and skilled mechanics (well, I know that at least in my case, it was
). It is possible, but not probable that
all of us put the gaskets in improperly.
BTW, four of the eight intake ports had developed leaks due to premature gasket withdrawal - two at the top and two at the bottom - so I believe it's more than just a cooling system problem.
These Printoseal gaskets are apparently intended for a low number of expansion/contraction heat cycles as experienced in racing engines. They have no reinforcement to keep them from distorting, which the Victor Reinz do, and are probably intended for replacement every so many races.
We'll see!
Tom
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