[ITSBACK]

Are the gaskets that come with Dougs any good and will this be an issue if they are good. If not what is the recommended gasket?
Thank you.

[rexs73gto]

The gaskets that come with the headers are ok, but I like the SEC copper gaskets, they don't leak & you can take them on & off several times before you have to replace them. Although there are some new very soft Alum. lavered gaskets that are suppose to be just as good. Bout can be remove & replaced several times whitout any damage to them. Plus on just about any Pontiac you want them to seal & stay put so you don't have to change them all the time.

[David Jones]

I've had no issues with them over a number of years.

[Gerrit]

I wasn't happy with the ones which came with mine.
Some holes were oval and left only some mm's contact area.



Replaced them with Fel Pro 1436 and never had issues since then.
The headers are great.

[ITSBACK]

I'm going to have to check mine when I get the headers back, just dropped them at the place I'm having them coated at.

[ITSBACK]

Thanks for the input guys

[lust4speed]

The old Doug's header gaskets were an eighth inch thick and really lasted, but the ones now included seem to be a cost cutting measure.

We've totally switched over to Remflex gaskets and haven't had a failure. They were originally only available from the manufacturer, but Summit carries them now. I have had good luck with copper and aluminum, and while they don't get worse if they develop a small leak - they still leak somewhat. I use the soft metal ones on the drag car because it isn't possible to save the Remflex on removal. Drag car gets freshened up every so often (and who can hear a header leak over the open headers), while the street car better not come apart for many years. The good news is they seal good by sticking to the header and the head, the bad news is they split down the middle when it's time to pull the header off. We lost a rear header bolt and the next two had backed out away from the header flange on Wheelspin's TA, and the Remflex gasket kept its seal. All we had to do was replace the one bolt and tighten everything back down. That would have been death for a Doug's gasket.

[ITSBACK]

I wish the bolts that came with the headers were stainless, they have the 3/8" head that's easy to get a wrench on. I just hate to do all this work making everything look good and I have rusty header bolts. As far as gaskets, I'll look into the remflex as dropping the headers down to change them shouldn't be too bad.

[Gerrit]

I used stainless steel low-head allen screws from a local hardware store.
Had to fabricate some tools but it worked for me.

[rexs73gto]

Just use the bolts that came with the headers & use a small model paint brush to paint the heads of the bolts with clear & they won't rust on you.