I've got my choice of using either some vintage Fel Pro steel or their later composite intake gaskets- any advantages to one over the other?  -Thanks-   /Duck

BOO- YA!!!

So nobody has an opinion? -Thanks-/Duck

BOO- YA!!!

Hi Duck,  If you mean intake manifold gaskets (not head gaskets) then I would definitely go with the composite ones.  All the intake gaskets I've used since the 60's have been composite.  I would think that stamped steel ones would have a hard time sealing around the water passages.  Good luck, Nick Brann - K.C., MO 

Hi,    Just not sure what the "steel" look like...I've only seen the fiberous- composite type. I have a bunch of old gaskets(truck type) with the small cross-over hole. Don't know that I would use them when I can get fresh ones that haven't sat around for 25 years, but will I pitch out the old??? , no, they'll be there in the estate sale!!!!    Could you post a pic so we can tell them apart?        Barry 

Steel shim head gaskets used in lieu of using composition gaskets will allow for an increase in compression ratio at the risk of some water seepage to the outside of the engine if head and deck surfaces are not perfectly true.  The FelPro composition gaskets on the other hand do not require retorquing after the engine has been cranked up while also minimizing any coolant leakage problems.

 

Another advantage to using the composition head gaskets is that it allows the heads and/or decks to be milled 0.015” while putting the intake bolts back in the original positions.  Milling decks or heads while using steel shim gaskets puts the intake bolts at a lower than stock position from the git go and any excessive milling can force the intake manifold or the intake side of the head to be milled in which to restore the fit.

 

Steel shim head gaskets are about 0.025” thick while composition gaskets are in the 0.041” neighborhood which accounts for about a 4.3cc difference between them.  This in turn makes for about a 0.4:1 change in compression ratio on a run of the mill 292.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Thanks for all the input. Even though these are steel intake manifold gaskets and not head gaskets, they would still need to seal water ports. It would seem from what I gather here the composite gaskets would be the wise choice, in that regard. I'm sorry I have no way to post a pic of them (steel) but they are exactly that, and they are in old FelPro packaging. I actually have 2 sets of them. -Thanks- /Duck

BOO- YA!!!

Duck.  Thanks for clarifying.  Thought you meant head gaskets as I’d never seen the steel intake gaskets for the Y.  Still continuing to learn something new everyday.  If you can email me a picture of the steel gaskets, I can post it for you.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Sorry to drag up an old thread, but Having been searching for opinions on which type of head gasket to use on my '56 Bird, which has a '57 block/heads...

Duck, when I pulled the 553 off my engine, and subsequently the heads, I too had steel intake gaskets as well as head gaskets. Just thought I'd add my name to the (apparently) short list who've had steel gaskets.

By the responses above, I think I'll be going with composition gaskets as well...I will say though, the steel gaskets sure are nice how they come of if one piece

Todd in Central California...about half way between Fresno and Sacramento

1956 Thunderbird - 1960 F-100 - 1961 Starliner - 1961 Imperial

 

Ted always says it best. 

   God Bless.   Tim                           http://yblockguy.com/

350ci Y-Block FED "Elwood", 301ci Y-Block Unibody LSR "Jake", 312ci Y-Block '58 F-100, 338ci Y-Block powered Model A Tudor

tim@yblockguy.com  Visalia, California    Just west of the Sequoias

I need a rent-a-ted, while I am in my rebuilding Process, Bought the felpro gasket set, guess I did something right.

 I'm on a Lowwwww Budget