I just go my engine to run and noticed a oil leak. Jacked it up and saw the oil pan wet. It's def coming from the seal. I dressed the block on an engine stand with new oil pan & gasket from a (1974 Chevy nova-dipstick on driverside), new timing cover " http://store.summitracing.com/partde...7&autoview=sku " cast aluminum one piece cover, felpro gaskets
Put the timing cover on first, then flipped the block over and installed the rail gaskets and the front and rear mains. I put black RTV on the corners of the rubber main gaskets and smeared RTV on the surface of the front main seal.

I just took the cover off to see whats up and noticed no RTV on the oil pan.
Has anyone run across this problem or maybe a solution? it seems that the rubber gasket is too small?

 

yea get a one peice oil pan gasket from millodan and call it a day... and use black RTV all over it lightly. never use the regular cork or rubber gaskets that arent one peice... they usually always leak.

the millodan 1 piece oil pan gasket also has crush sleeves so u cant overtighten the bolts and squeeze out the gasket. put the RTV on the whole gasket front and rear seals as well as the black but u dont need alot bc u dont want it sqeezing into the oil in the block by the rotating assembly

 

I thought that there was a difference in the thickness of the gasket on the front of the sbc engine (between the timing chain cover and Oil pan around 1978???)

I could be wrong....., but I think that I remember running into the same problem on a engine rebuild and swap I did on an old 1980 Chev 1/2 ton that I had. I was gonna use a 74 block and use the 80 oil pan (didn't work)

 

I keep thinking there is 2 different thickness front seals.
The pan and the gasket was for a 74 nova cause the motor was from that car

 

I was once told by a machinist to use Permatex Form a Gasket #2 sealant for gaskets that you want to make sure don’t leak.

Since then I have used that on oil pan cork gasket and the rubber seals on the rear and front of block and never had an issue with leaking.
Of course this isn’t being “by the book” but it seemed to work for me every time.
Noting that it is a bit more of a pain to scrape off when you change gaskets later.

 

Was the timing chain cover a match to the '74 engine and seals????

 

I just talked to NAPA and they are getting me a newer style seal (1976)and I guess I will go from there
description says from summit

Make CHEVROLET Engine Type V8 Liter 5.7 CID 350 Engine Size 5.7L/350 Beginning Year 1968 Ending Year 1990 Engine Family Chevy small block Gen I

 

UPDATE
The seal I got now is the one I need. Its for a 1976-80 front seal

 

glad u got the right part. hope it works.

GTA sammy... hows ur car running? u have a stealth ram which i'll be dropping in a 383 HSR in a coupleof weeks and im gona have to tune it since no one will and its 400$ if u want sumone else to. i see ur chips is a superchip... how much it cost for the tune? and wat does it run in the 1/4 or wat are ur hp/tq figures?