Block/crankcase gasket

[Howard Wright]

Hi All

I used one of Jamie’s gaskets with the RK and so far zero leaks in that area.

However I’m surprised no-one has mentioned getting the surfaces flat first,  A good straight edge will show any problems.  If they are significant on the block base get it skimmed.  

With my first special I “ground” the block crankcase joint with a little grinding paste. You can soon detect high spots. Don’t go mad as the soft aluminium wears quickly.  Also give it a very good clean after.  Others advocate grinding each separately against a piece of plate glass.

Cheers

Howard

[Steve kay]

Many thanks to all for feedback and response. I reckon that if it's good enough for a certaim wizard it's the very best thing for me. I will ring Jamie in the morning for a silicone gasket. I have been asked how old the engine is and why it has begun to leak such a torrent. It is very recent, but rather than name the builder of the engine, I will only say that he no longer does Austin Seven engines, an engineering operation he took on from his father.

[Bob Kneale]

Hi Steve

Don't be afraid of making your own using silicone baking sheet material. It's very stable and take about 20 minutes to carefully cut out with a sharp scalpel (no.11blade for precision), and find somewhere  where you can't be interrupted! Total cost of material is about £1.50, and you should have plenty of spare for other gaskets.

Not recommended for head gaskets for obvious reasons but it makes an excellent sump gasket,
I've been using it for several years, and can recommend it. Mind you Seven workshop's sump gasket is thicker and superior! And more expensive.

Good luck if you try it


Bob

["Slack Alice" Simon]

I have found baking sheet (from the usual auction site) of variable quality and thickness and availability.

There are suppliers who sell silicon sheet off the roll, I now have enough to last me a lifetime or two but the quality is good.

1mm for all those gaskets around the crankcase, 2mm for the sump.

A pair of small sharp scissors and a set of proper hole punches make it very easy to produce gaskets.

Yes, they squeeze out a bit, and, yes, you are never quite sure how much to tighten the bolts - but - they really do keep the oil where it belongs.

With a millimetre or two to play with, you don't have to worry over much about the state of the surfaces.

And no more goo!

[Hedd_Jones]

I tried a Sainsburys baking sheet while doing the hydraulic test of my boiler, it was bloody useless with water. I reverted to Klingersil

[Charles P]

I found that a Dunelm baking sheet, stuck on with Wellseal, was just the solution for an early, flat, tappet chest cover.

[Rick F]

Hedd, The problems with using a baking sheet is that it is usually of an unknown hardness, I know that when Jamie and I first looked at producing the silicone gaskets we tried "Lakeland" baking sheets. The guys cutting them out soon rejected them as useless and supplied Jamie with proper silicone jointing. Unfortunately I cannot remember what the Shore  number is!

["Slack Alice" Simon]

The one I bought was 60 shore.

I see a fibreglass re-inforced version is available, which would cut down the movement under tightening up.