440 Oil Pan Gasket Trials (and Tribulations)

[Mosin]

Greetings All,

Just a quick post to rave about the Felpro #1834 oil pan gasket for the 440...rubber and steel sandwich.  Ever since I had the engine rebuilt last year there was a small oil leak at the front passenger side, which the harmonic balancer would whip over to the lower radiator hose and suspension..driving me insane. After flattening the flange and bolt holes I tried the Felpro cork with Gaskacinch, which promptly tore and leaked @ ~10 ft lbs (when 15 is specified). I tried a Milodon composite dry (i.e. no Gaskacinch or sealer), which leaked but didn't tear. So I added some Right Stuff sealer around the front lip... at which point it tore and pushed out (!). Then I tried the Mopar composite... same story as the Milodon (which makes sense, as they are almost identical). Finally, in desperation I decided to throw money at the problem (story of Pandora's rebirth/exorcism) and coughed up the $30 for the Felpro #1834 (all of the others are in the $10-15 range) put it on bone dry and... IT DOSN'T LEAK!  ^RokOn^  As far as I could determine from my trials, it is the only 440 oil pan gasket on the market that is actually steel core as opposed to some other (non-metal) composite. Anyone experiencing leaks and/or who is sick of oil pan gaskets tearing and pushing out should consider forking over the extra $ for this Felpro wonder. It will pay for itself by way of the $ you will save on the oil alone if you have to do it again (or again and again and again like I did) not to mention the price of the Right Stuff sealant, which alone cost $18 at NAPA, and only facilitated the slippage/destruction of my Milodon and Mopar gaskets.

Cheers,

Dave