TomP

Okay, so it looks like we're putting that 2.8 motor back together tomorrow. I nabbed the heads this morning from my friend's house & scraped them free of gasket material. Here's my questions...

1. Which name/brand of sealant should we use for the head bolts? I've been told to use a teflon pipe thread sealer, but the only one I found was Permatex #14 in a tube, and it doesn't mention high-temp applications. It seems that type of sealant is rare around here- so if I could have a brand/name to ask for, I wouldn't have to keep visiting places in person. (Everyone tells me to use RTV?) I searched the tech articles and found a mention of Permatex #2- is that the "make a gasket" tube? I also read about the GM stuff, if the dealer's parts dept. is open tomorrow I might try to get their stuff.

2. Also- I see some pieces of gasket inside the head's coolant passageways. Should I get out the 'ol garden hose, and run water through the coolant passageways? Or should I just blow that out with compressed air, and flush the engine after it's installed?

Thanks again guys!


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
---Think your car could be pic of the week? Visit http://www.f-body.net for details!

JakeJr

Permatex #2 is that very dark brown really gooey stuff that comes in a tube and is hard to get off your fingers when you're finished.

I always use it on the threads of the head bolts on all the engines I build. Some guys like other stuff, but I'm from the old school and see no reason to change since it's worked perfectly for me for more than 30 yrs.

You definitely need to get all those little pieces of gasket out of the heads before you bolt them on. They will end up blocking the radiator or some other small coolant passage if you don't. I use compressed air, but I've also used high pressure water, at a local car wash. You just have to be sure to blow dry all the springs, etc. afterwards and oil them to prevent and rust from forming.

Hope this helps.

Jake

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1986 Corvette Coupe, 415 CID, Edelbrock 6073s, ZZ9

[This message has been edited by JakeJr (edited February 25, 2001).]

ede

i use the liquid teflon pipe sealer. the head bolts aren't considered a high temp application. PST is the permatex name, but there are many others. i also put a little under the bolt head. compressed air should remove most of the small pieces of gasket material.

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ICON Motorsports

1st & 3rd

TomP

Great! Thanks for the quick help, guys!

Vader

Tom,

Still wrestling with the 173, huh? I'll second the vote for Loctite/Permatex PST. It hardens more than regular PTFE-bearing pipe joint compounds - just like the gasket shellac that Jake mentions. Regular pipe joint compound remains fluid and can be fored out under pressure unless the joint is tapered pipe. I don't know the retail part number, but the industrial package is marketed as Loctite Pro-Loc PST, P/N 81800. A 1.69 Fl. Oz. is about $6.50 from industrial suppliers. Auto parts/supplier stores sell the retail package for about $12.00 - guess where I get mine...

As for the gasket fragment removal, a flush should work well. I've also had some success with an air hose to shake the particles free then a shop vac to suck them out of the openings. The vacuum can also remove any leftover water, coolant, and oil. Jake is right - you'll want to get as much of that out as possible to avoid problems later.

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Later,
Vader
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"No matter how hard you try you can't stop us now..."
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TomP

Heh, yeah, this halfway-budget-rebuild gets a little confusing

We wound up using Permatex #2 on one head's bolts' threads, then my friend's dad found the Loctite PST in his workshop, so we use that for the other side. We used compressed air beforehand to blow out the water jackets; man, what a bunch of crap flew out! The compressed air worked good on the heads, too; we didn't even bother with hooking up a water hose. Now I don't know how to seal that intake manifold.. i didn't expect a corroded sealing surface. Figures... Thanks for the part # on the PST stuff; I'll have to call around some industrial shops to find it for when I do my rebuild.

Thanks!


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
---Think your car could be pic of the week? Visit http://www.f-body.net for details!