PDF associated:
/Inside_Sealing-Chevy BB.pdf
Inside Sealing Big Block Chevy V8 Who For shop owners and technicians What Tips for engine sealing repairs and upgrades Where Visit www felpro only com for more information Why Leverage the expertise of Federal Mogul s Fel Pro engineering team to grow your engine sealing business Highlights Head block identification and head gasket selection Finding the right replacement intake manifold gasket Sealing a marine engine Faster easier oil pan sealing There have been countless books and articles written about the legendary Chevrolet Big Block engine If ever there were a Most Valuable Player award for domestic passenger car and light truck engines the BBC or Rat motor as it is sometimes called would certainly be a finalist Like the Dodge 426 Hemi engine the BBC delivers it all horsepower torque and overall durability Unlike the Dodge this engine is available in several cubic inch displacements over applications ranging from family sedans to muscle cars late model light duty pickup trucks and 50 and 60 series full size work trucks One of the keys to repairing rebuilding and maintaining these engines is having a clear understanding of which version is on your engine stand Aside from the normal VIN and year breaks technicians also must know engine size pretty simple generation Gen IV V or VI whether it has aluminum or cast iron cylinder heads performance vs stock with rectangular or oval ports compression ratio ignition style and type of fuel delivery system It s also important to know whether the engine castings are OEM or aftermarket as many manufacturers offer cylinder heads and blocks patterned after the OEM design These castings normally offer some performance gains over their stock counterparts Finally how is the engine used classic car work truck RV stationary or marine engine Common Leaks The most commonly encountered sealing needs on Chevrolet Big Block engines are 1 head gasket types and selection 2 intake manifold leaks 3 valve cover leaks 4 oil pan leaks and 5 cooling system maintenance Fel Pro Solutions 1 PermaTorqueMLS and PermaTorqueSD Severe Duty head gaskets 2 Performance intake manifold gaskets 3 PermaDry valve cover gaskets 4 PermaDryPlus oil pan gasket 5 PermaDryPlus water outlet gasket The Legend Continues Chevy Big Block Engine Engine Models Gen IV V and VI 1965 2000 FPO EOM 155 www felpro only com 1 HEAD SEALING STOCK AND PERFORMANCE By John Gurnig Field Test Technician Selecting the correct head gas ket for your Big Block Chevy application begins with proper identification of the engine itself The first step is determin ing the engine s generation Gen IV V or VI Engines manufactured prior to 1990 are Gen IV those produced from 1991 95 are Gen V and 1996 and newer engines are known as Gen VI Still you might encounter interchange issues due to a variety of head and block design changes Two key areas to examine are the end cooling pas sages and the available sealing area adjoining the intake valley While most aftermarket heads will work on all BBC blocks OE Gen IV heads are often not compatible with Gen V or VI blocks and OE Gen V and VI heads are often not compatible with Gen IV blocks Head gasket performance is one reason why head and block identification is so important There must be a minimum of 188 land area around the head and block water holes for a proper seal The upper coolant holes on some heads and blocks will over lap reducing the available land area Operating Environment The Fel Pro brand of fers the right head gasket technology and design for virtually any BBC engine combination But just as there are dramatic differ ences between a stock en gine and one that s making 500 or more horsepower the design and material characteristics also vary greatly from one style of Fel Pro gasket to another Here is a quick review of your choices Stock The Fel Pro stock replacement head gasket for a Big Block Chevy engine features a compos ite material with tin plate combustion armors These non retorque style gaskets which feature an anti stick coating are available for all three BBC engine gen erations Severe Duty Designed for engines used in work truck emergency vehicle fleet and other hard work ing applications Fel Pro PermaTorqueSD gaskets feature thicker high grade Keys to a Perfect Seal on Any Big Block Chevy Engine John Gurnig 2 Identifying BBC Engine Blocks BBC engines manufactured prior to 1990 are designated as Gen IV Those produced from 1991 95 are Gen V Engines produced since 1996 are Gen VI Potential cylinder head and block interchange is sues exist due to changes in the cooling passages between the three block and head designs Figure 1 This newer style Gen IV block can be identified by coolant holes 1 and 2 which are not found on older BBC blocks All blocks do have coolant hole 3 between cylinders 5 and 7 on the driver s side and cylinders 2 and 4 on the passenger side All BBC heads feature the three coolant holes If a block doesn t have all three holes new holes can be drilled using the gasket as a template A block with all three holes can accommo date any BBC head gasket with the appropriate bore size and thick ness A block without coolant holes 1 and 2 however must use one of the following Fel Pro head gaskets 1017 1 1017 2 1027 1057 or 1093 based on the appropriate bore size and thickness Figures 2 and 3 Fig 2 is a Gen V block Fig 3 a Gen VI Each has a large coolant hole adjacent to the dowel sleeve on both banks at the front of the block The head gasket must block this hole or engine over heating will occur The appropriate head gaskets for these applications feature only one coolant hole at each end Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 HEAD SEALING STOCK AND PERFORMANCE 3 stainless steel combustion armors 25 thicker core material Printoseal elas tomeric sealing beads and a silicone top coat Performance Fel Pro offers a variety of head gaskets for performance applications Here are the available options PermaTorqueMLS Leading engine builders in NASCAR NHRA and IHRA racing as well as those building power for high output street ma chines rely on Fel Pro PermaTorqueMLS head gaskets Each gasket s multiple layers of full hard stainless steel maintain shape and withstand scrubbing and crush ing caused by head and block movement These gaskets also feature stra tegically placed sealing beads that are concen tric to the cylinder bores to eliminate leak paths plus a welded stopper layer some applications that provides a superior primary combustion seal Their aftermarket specific coating technology seals surface finishes up to 65 Ra These gaskets can be used in engines that are supercharged turbocharged and nitrous oxide injected Wire ring Commonly used in drag racing applications wire ring performance head gaskets feature a wire ring combustion seal inserted within a stain less steel armor This unique design ensures a highly concentrated seal around the combustion chamber In addition the gasket s rubber fiber fac ing material is reinforced with KEVLAR fiber and laminated to a solid steel core to resist torque loss and seal fluids These gaskets are available with the choice of two wire materials steel for cast iron or aluminum cylinder heads and copper fac tory aluminum heads Marine Designed for 4 cycle marine applica tions Fel Pro marine head gaskets ensure depend able engine sealing in salt water or fresh water Fel Pro offers three levels of BBC marine head gasket technology stock wire ring type and multi layer steel for 454 502 510 540 and 572 ci engines Composite versions of Marine head gaskets fea ture a 300 series stainless steel core and combustion armors to resist corrosion as well as anti stick sur face coatings to improve micro sealing Perma Torque construction to minimize torque loss and Printoseal sealing beads where required Head Bolts Please note that the Fel Pro product team recently introduced a head bolt set covering Gen IV V and VI BBC engines Fel Pro ES72264 two sets required per engine John Gurnig runs the Fel Pro Field Test Garage in Skokie Ill KEVLAR is a registered trademark of the E I DuPont Company Fel Pro offers the right head gasket technology for any BBC engine Options include from left Fel Pro PermaTorqueMLS PermaTorqueSD Blue Stripe Performance and Marine designs Layered View PermaTorqueMLS head gasket Layered View Wire ring head gasket Layered View Marine head gasket Intake Manifold Fel Pro offers the right intake manifold gasket design and material for any BBC engine combination from stock to an ultra high output performance motor It is vital to understand how the engine will be used to ensure a trouble free seal In addition engine build ers and technicians need to be able to identify the port design rectangular or oval and dimensions of the head before select ing a BBC intake manifold gasket Available intake manifold gaskets for BBC engines include Stock Composite de sign with solid steel core and non stick coating Late Model Nylon type carrier with molded rubber sealing beads for stock fuel injected truck engines Performance Com posite material without metal core allows engine builder to trim the gasket to match modified ports Printoseal elastomeric sealing beads provide extra sealing strength around ports Performance w Steel Core Ideal for high vac uum engines these gas kets feature a solid steel core to provide excep tional stability They are a great choice for both street and racing applica tions These gaskets also have an anti stick coating to make gasket removal and clean up easier and prevent gasket failure due to intake manifold and cylinder head movement Valve Cover There are multiple valve cover gasket options available through the Fel Pro product line including Stock Conventional style cork rubber design See Fig 1 PermaDry Depend ing on the application Fel Pro offers rigid and or floppy style molded rubber gaskets for BBC engines Each gasket features multiple sealing beads for improved seal ability Performance The combination of a molded rubber sealing surface and rigid carrier ensures easy installation and de pendable sealing Built in compression limiters and multiple sealing beads make these gaskets the No 1 choice in the indus try See Fig 2 Oil Pan Anyone who has wrestled with the original four piece OEM style oil pan gasket for a Gen IV BBC engine understands the word frustration Fel Pro has introduced a superior solution a one piece rigid carrier PermaDryPlus and Perfor mance gasket that ensures fast one person installa tion and offers a perfect seal on BBC engines These gaskets are espe cially effective in sealing corner leak paths and offer significantly longer life than cork rubber gaskets Water Outlet Sometimes even the simplest sealing repairs can go wrong when you overlook new gasket tech nologies The seemingly simple water outlet gasket is a perfect example any warping pitting corrosion or other surface imper fections could cause the failure of a conventional paper gasket The best choice is a Per maDryPlus water outlet gasket which features a rigid core and multiple silicone rubber beads Rear Main Seal Fel Pro offers the right rear main seal for virtually any BBC engine Your options include Gen IV The two piece seal design for these engines is available from Fel Pro with either a silicone sealing element stock replacement or a VITON performance element The VITON sealing element is well suited to higher tempera ture applications as well as those equipped with manual transmissions Gen V and later Fel Pro offers the one piece seal required for these applications with a high performance VITON sealing element Also available for these engines is the Fel Pro Sleeve n Seal kit This innovative solu tion provides a perfect running surface for the seal without the need for expensive machining of the crank Sealing Upgrades Repair Tips from Fel Pro 4 Figure 1 Fel Pro stock cork rubber valve cover gasket Figure 2 Fel Pro Performance valve cover gasket w rigid carrier VITON is a registered trademark of the E I DuPont Company 5 Only Fel Pro offers 100 application specific sealing solution components for Chevrolet Big Block engines Each Fel Pro gasket and seal for these applications features the best material and design for the aftermarket performance environment Chevy Big Block Parts Check Exhaust System Exhaust Manifold Gasket Sets Exhaust Pipe Gaskets Leak Repair Distributor Mounting Gaskets EGR Gaskets Intake Manifold Gasket Sets Oil Cooler Mounting Sets Oil Pan Gasket Sets Rear Main Seal Sets Timing Cover Sets Timing Sets w Sleeve Seal Valve Cover Gasket Sets Cooling System Thermostat Housing Gaskets Water Outlet Gaskets Water Pump Gaskets Engine Repair Conversion Gasket Sets Head Bolt Sets Head Sets Head Gaskets Repair Sleeve Tool Repair Sleeves Valve Stem Seal Sets Fuel System EGR Gaskets Fuel Pump Mounting Gaskets Throttle Body Gaskets Repair Type Repair Type Viton is a registered trademark of the E I DuPont Company Make sure you get every Fel Pro Inside Sealing e mail newsletter Sign up for FREE monthly e mail alerts at www felpro only com The Best Book Is Back More than 400 new engine applications Accurate specs for each cylinder head verified by Federal Mogul engineers Individual data listings and diagrams for every covered engine Head bolt requirements and part numbers included www felpro only com Federal Mogul s popular Fel Pro Torque Tables cylinder head specifications guide is now available Download this invaluable reference tool today at Premium materials available PermaDryPlus water outlet gasket Severe Duty head gasket PermaDry intake manifold gaskets PermaDryPlus PermaDry oil pan gaskets VITON rear main seal PermaDry valve cover gaskets Performance applications available
