[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by gtorich

Hey Mike, thanks for explaining that , im thinking of talking to the builder and have him take the time to get this thing ship shape.

I take it your doing all this adjustment with the gasket off or on.

Will send the one back to butler, even if you got everything perfect you would have to do as Mick said and dent it and hope for the best.

Rich

Yes, I bolt it up with no gasket, then fit the pan as best as possible. Any little gap left, the gasket will fill. I will go ahead and list how I seal them the rest of the way. Don't want to get too off track. Every builder has a different, method of sealing Pontiac's that must work for them. This is what I prefer. I like the thick, pressed paper gaskets Butler sells the best. They are the most similar to the factory OE gaskets. 2nd choice is the Felpro or similar cork/rubber gaskets. Believe it or not, I have only used the BOP 1-piece gasket 1 time. It worked fine and did not leak but is quite expensive. I attach the gasket to the oil pan with High Tack or similar, mostly to hold it in place. If there was a gap when fitting the pan, I sometimes put a very, very thin skim of RTV over the entire surface of the gasket face that will touch the block. I put a bead of RTV in the 4 corners. Here is where many will disagree. I don't use ANY seal at the rear of the pan. No cork, no rubber. I have had best luck just using RTV, a 3/8" approximate bead, up and over the rear cap. If the rear cap is the older design with a groove for the cork, I place the bead biased toward the rear of the groove. You don't want the RTV to block the oil return holes in the rear cap. I let the bead set-up 10-15 minutes before placing the pan. You need to nail the placement without moving it around much. I always use the pan corner braces and tighten the pan in stages going around it 3-4 times to evenly tighten it. IMO, Pontiac oil pans don't have near enough fasteners to get a great seal. Score 1 for Chevy with almost double the fasteners and a smaller pan. (although only 1/4") Once all tight, I look closely for complete squeeze out at the rear pan seal. I let it dry 24 + hours then slice the excess RTV off with a single edge razor at the rear face. I use a soft set RTV, NOT something like "Right Stuff". Just don't personally care for it. Something like Permatex Ultra Gray or black is nice stuff. I like Valco Brand RTV from Cincinnati but it;s a little hard to find in certain parts of the country. I buy it by the case. Works very well. That's my process, may not be best for everyone, but I have a high success rate. I smoke test every engine I assemble now that I have my own machine. Smoke finds every leak. A tiny weep from the rear main seal on a new engine generally is not an issue. Especially with a BOP 1 or 2 piece seal. They are a dynamic seal and will probably seal up in use. Good luck.