[montea]

I pulled out the motor and trans( 79' SBC 350 w/ 305 heads, edlebrock performer intake/cam and carb) from my car yesterday because it has been leaking a lot. i did a full rebuild on it but the gasket set i used was a Cheap ROL kit and i put it in the car almost 2 years ago and it has a Total of 10,000km(6,000 miles) on it. i would expect a 4-6inch round oil stain after parking the car anywhere all summer when i drove it. i have also always had a problem with coolant sitting on the intake mostly after it was sitting for awhile. i always thought it was coming from the thermostat housing and i tried out a different kind and also retorqed the intake manifold and it still seems to be doing it. the Lower rad hose which was new with the engine seemed to have a muddy coating inside, all new coolant was used when the engine was put in. the rad/heater core were from parts cars and im not sure if they were rinsed out before they were put in or not.

i took some pictures of the engine/trans to show how greasy it all got in 1 summer of driving. the passenger side of the water pump and cyls 7 and 8 (head gasket area) looks the worst. i think that the oil pressure line was leaking at the fitting too. The transmission also got to be pretty bad. the engine cross member got it pretty good as well.

was the gasket set i used really that bad or would you say its my fault? i followed directions in engine rebuild books and torqued everything down to specs and used sealant where it was needed.

are cork oil pan/valve cover gaskets ok to use? i bought a full fel-pro kit.

 

[JeffB]

SBC leaks

I have rebuilt a lot of small blocks,no stranger to leaks so will give you a few hints: :nono: NEVER use the intake end seals that come in the gasket set,use hi-temp RTV,use the new Fel-Pro 1 piece oil pan gasket, before installing rear main seals soak them overnight in ATF( I tried this and it worked for me) also do this with the front timing cover seal too.Good Luck!!

 

[curtis73]

And I've never seen an ROL gasket that was cheap. I've never had a leak with ROL gaskets.

 

[montea]

what about the grease film i found in my lower rad hose? is there anyway of checking my intake for cracks besides looking over it? and for gaskets should i use the full felpro kit and just pick up a 1pc oil pan gasket?

 

[trees]

For the coolant seepage you should try a bead of Permatex Black sealant that you use on your head bolts on your intake bolts. Not all of them are exposed to coolant but I can never remember which are and are not so I coat them all. Also, the bolt that is in the front of the block that holds the fuel pump push rod in place during fuel pump replacement needs the Permatex as well. I also Permatex the fuel pump retaining bolts as well. If you have a lot of small leaks, you may want to make sure your PC Valve is clean and you are venting your valve covers/crank case correctly because more than normal pressure inside your intake, valve covers, and crank case can cause oil to escape in all the weak areas and the SBC is well known for those.

Trees

 

[jray]

Also you might take a look at the chrome thermostat housing.......I have never been able to make one stop leaking permanently. I know other people have but not me ain:

 

[jray]

deleted, duplicate post.