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Thosw wacky gaskets

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Thosw wacky gaskets
#1
Captain Ron Avatar
Captain Ron Franklin Green
Lodi, WI, USA   USA
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1965 MG MGB "Happy Jack"
Almost finished with top end rework. Got a cork thermostat gasket with my Payen gasket pack, ordered the high-end gasket from Moss. Cork gasket is a perfect fit, but the pricey one will need to be cut to fit and the stud holes will need to be enlarged. Should I just go ahead and use the cork gasket? Why would my buddies at Moss send me a gasket that needs modification?

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Re: Thosw wacky gaskets
#2
riley1489 Avatar
riley1489 Gold Member Bruce H
Great White North, QC, Canada   CAN
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1953 Jaguar XK120
1959 Riley 1.5 "King George"
1973 MG MGB
In reply to # 3431678 by Captain Ron 1) Should I just go ahead and use the cork gasket?

2) Why would my buddies at Moss send me a gasket that needs modification?

1) Yes, close up the job, cork has worked for eons. Ensure both the cylinder head & thermostat housing surfaces are clean & flat. Don't over tighten the fasteners.

2) No idea, phone them and ask

B


Life's most persistent and urgent question is, "What are you doing for others?"

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Re: Thosw wacky gaskets
#3
dipstick Avatar
dipstick Kenny Snyder (RIP)
La Center, WA, USA   USA
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1941 Ford N-Series
1958 MG MGA 1500 Coupe "Rosie"
1970 MG MGB GT "Pat's GT"
1971 MG MGB "Gifted To Me"    & more
Cork is fine. Make a little cut out to clear the valve cover. Lightly coat the studs with antiseize. Retighten (lightly) after one hour.


Be safe out there.
Kenny

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Re: Thosw wacky gaskets
#4
tvrgeek Silver Member Scott S
Hillsborough, North Carolinia, USA   USA
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1973 Triumph Stag
Cork will seal up just fine, but it does absorb water so it leads to the studs rusting. I prefer RTV for that location. I'm OK with cork for the oily places.

Moss, like all the suppliers, sells what they can get. Sometimes the part is great, sometimes not. If you expect them to only sell OEM quality, their catalog woudl be about two pages. When you find a problem, let them know. Trimming a gasket is not as big a deal as trying to get a repro MGA grill to fit. Be happy.


Cogito ergo sum periculoso

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Re: Thosw wacky gaskets
#5
dipstick Avatar
dipstick Kenny Snyder (RIP)
La Center, WA, USA   USA
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1941 Ford N-Series
1958 MG MGA 1500 Coupe "Rosie"
1970 MG MGB GT "Pat's GT"
1971 MG MGB "Gifted To Me"    & more
"Cork will seal up just fine, but it does absorb water so it leads to the studs rusting."
- Cork absorbs water and then expands. That is why corked wine bottles are stored on their side, to keep the cork wet and expanded.
- Stainless steel studs will eliminate the rust problem.


Be safe out there.
Kenny

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Re: Thosw wacky gaskets
#6
Basil Adams Avatar
Basil Adams Platinum Member
About 12 miles from Sears Point, CA, USA   USA
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In this case, Moss doesn't just sell what they can get. They had the green "Klingersil" gaskets made and I've sold many with no complaints. If I have a head gasket set with the cork gasket in it, I use it but the green one seems to be a fine gasket. No offense intended Franklin but the thermostat studs are not evenly spaced - have you tried rotating the gasket to all three possible positions? Basil 707.762.0974 basiladams@yahoo.com


Basil C. Adams
1956 MGA Coupe (Show Car)
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Re: Those wacky gaskets?/don't think so eye rolling smiley
#7
Donthuis Avatar
Donthuis Don van Riet
Rijswijk, ZH, Netherlands   NLD
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1972 MG MGB MkIII
I almost always used the cork ones. In humid environments like the thermostat housing, cork swells up and seals fine. This way moderate tightening of the stud's nuts is sufficient.
I twice used the harder, carton ones when cork was not available. I found them less easy to work with, once my mech even overtightened one stud to stem leakage and it broke off.

Of course what Basil says is vital: the studs are not evenly distributed so take care when fitting not to stretch the material the wrong way confused smiley

PS To delay any rust development I used to add Holts anti-rust to the coolant, nowadays I use a similar product from Toralin, added to my 25/75% allseason antifreeze mixture



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2017-01-17 03:39 AM by Donthuis.

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Re: Those wacky gaskets?/don't think so eye rolling smiley
#8
riley1489 Avatar
riley1489 Gold Member Bruce H
Great White North, QC, Canada   CAN
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1953 Jaguar XK120
1959 Riley 1.5 "King George"
1973 MG MGB
FWIW this particular gasket is not a 'high pressure' joint protection.
I am sure a great many of us as 'poorer' and 'younger' car owners have made this gasket from a discarded cigarette pack with nothing more than a utility knife. I know this worked for me many, many times.

Bottom line is any well fitting gasket will seal the joint, as long as the joint surfaces are clean & flat.

B


Life's most persistent and urgent question is, "What are you doing for others?"

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Re: Thosw wacky gaskets
#9
Speedracer Avatar
Speedracer Platinum AdvertiserAdvertiser Hap Waldrop
Taylors, SC, USA   USA
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1967 MG MGB Racecar "The Biscuit"
Felpro makes a better thermostat gasket I get them at my local O'Rielly, and Advance Auto parts stores. The cork gasket works OK, but these are way better.

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/felpro-water-outlet-gasket-25583/5780349-p?iv_=__iv_p_1_a_214327102_g_12425515822_w_aud-48102772055:pla-61865531738_h_9010658_ii__d_c_v__n_g_x_pla_y_6201684_f_online_o_5780349-P_z_US_i_en_j_61865531738_s__vi__&utm_source=ACQ&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PLA&utm_content=shoppingcampaigns&gclid=Cj0KEQiAnvfDBRCXrabLl6-6t-0BEiQAW4SRUNcgvanMiUFBpQB2MUMl1w1iYiiGToIdH091imnPSksaAmFk8P8HAQ


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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-01-17 07:50 AM by Speedracer.


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Re: Thosw wacky gaskets
#10
converse212 Avatar
converse212 Eric Morgan
Atlanta, GA, USA   USA
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1958 MG MGA
1970 MG MGB "Daily Driver"
1970 MG MGB GT "Rusty"
1971 MG MGB GT    & more
In reply to # 3431678 by Captain Ron Almost finished with top end rework. Got a cork thermostat gasket with my Payen gasket pack, ordered the high-end gasket from Moss. Cork gasket is a perfect fit, but the pricey one will need to be cut to fit and the stud holes will need to be enlarged. Should I just go ahead and use the cork gasket? Why would my buddies at Moss send me a gasket that needs modification?

The nice gaskets moss sells fit only one way on the studs, and require slight trimming to fit the valve cover. No big deal, and they work great


1973 MGB: Blow through supercharged, intercooled, 10psi boost. VP12 cam, aluminum flywheel, 8.9:1 compression. Black label OD, Saab 15” minilites. Goes a lot better than it looks.

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Re: Thosw wacky gaskets
#11
Be Coming Avatar
Be Coming Kelvin Dodd
So. Calif., USA   USA
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1957 MG MGA
1957 MG MGA Coupe
1958 MG Magnette
1958 MG Magnette ZB    & more
In reply to # 3431678 by Captain Ron Why would my buddies at Moss send me a gasket that needs modification?

Because the engineer doing the CAD drawing didn't listen to me.
As stated above, the studs are asymmetrical. When installed correctly the studs will line up. There should be a small notch in the gasket to clear the valve cover which was not called out in the CAD drawing.

The cork gaskets are tricky to compress correctly. The original ones from AE worked well if they were not over torqued and crushed, but later versions varied in consistency. The Unipart cut to fit gaskets sealed well and didn't have a crush issue, but the reproductions that came out in the 90s had a different material that would ooze. The Klingersill material is an American made material that seals very well and evenly compresses. Moss had these gaskets manufactured to solve issues with the cork gasket variability.

Kelvin.

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Re: Thosw wacky gaskets
#12
tvrgeek Silver Member Scott S
Hillsborough, North Carolinia, USA   USA
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1973 Triumph Stag
I'll stick with my RTV grinning smiley


Cogito ergo sum periculoso

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Re: Thosw wacky gaskets
#13
spikemichael Avatar
spikemichael Platinum Member Michael Caputo
Canton, IL, USA   USA
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1973 MG MGB "Freebie"
1973 MG MGB
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1976 MG MGB "Cecil"    & more
In reply to # 3432166 by Speedracer Felpro makes a better thermostat gasket I get them at my local O'Rielly, and Advance Auto parts stores. The cork gasket works OK, but these are way better.

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/felpro-water-outlet-gasket-25583/5780349-p?iv_=__iv_p_1_a_214327102_g_12425515822_w_aud-48102772055:pla-61865531738_h_9010658_ii__d_c_v__n_g_x_pla_y_6201684_f_online_o_5780349-P_z_US_i_en_j_61865531738_s__vi__&utm_source=ACQ&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PLA&utm_content=shoppingcampaigns&gclid=Cj0KEQiAnvfDBRCXrabLl6-6t-0BEiQAW4SRUNcgvanMiUFBpQB2MUMl1w1iYiiGToIdH091imnPSksaAmFk8P8HAQ

Exactly.
Last time I bought one it was like $2 at advance auto.


Michael J. Caputo
'79, '77, '76, '74.5 (rubber dual SU), and '73 owner. Extensive experience in 12v Audio System design and installation. Vendor of Regalia and Promotional Products since 1993. Supplier of Accessories to MOSS. Forum Member since 2009; with a warped sense of humor since birth. Publisher of the annual MGB & GT Calendar, mailed worldwide.


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Re: Thosw wacky gaskets
#14
Captain Ron Avatar
Captain Ron Franklin Green
Lodi, WI, USA   USA
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1965 MG MGB "Happy Jack"
Going with cork... To RTV or not to RTV; that is the question.

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Re: Thosw wacky gaskets
#15
riley1489 Avatar
riley1489 Gold Member Bruce H
Great White North, QC, Canada   CAN
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1953 Jaguar XK120
1959 Riley 1.5 "King George"
1973 MG MGB
In reply to # 3432555 by Captain Ron Going with cork... To RTV or not to RTV; that is the question.

are you asking a question?

Are you asking to RTV the cork gasket? confused smiley

B


Life's most persistent and urgent question is, "What are you doing for others?"

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