47-55.1 Eliminate draft tube options

[mr48chev]

Originally Posted by TX3100Guy

I've noticed in working on this engine that many of the gasket surfaces (not the oil pan) that the previous owner used a blue silicon type gasket sealer. I've not seen anything like this before and wonder if that is something that I should look into. Right now, I use either the "Right Stuff" and/ore Permatex RTV type sealer. But the blue silicon material seems to seal better and frankly has been easier to remove.

Engine sealers come down to the concept of "this is what works best for me when I seal this area". Blue silicone has been around for ever and I use it along with the black and there are a ton of other great sealers out there.

The main thing with silicone is do not use too much. Years ago a buddy of mine who worked in a Honda Dealership said that the instructor at a school he went to told the guys to hold their finger out and squirted a dab on each guys finger and told them that dab was all the silicone they needed to seal the whole engine. I've pulled six inch long silicone worms out of oil passages of blown up engines before.

On the main cap thing, I would have the best idea is search out a good front main cap and line bore the block with it in place. Extra $$ but peace of mind knowing it was done right.

If you were closer to Waco I'd just say put the tools you need to pull a pan and pull the main cap in a 5 gallon bucket and head to M Lipsizt in East Waco and hunt through the scrap engine pile that after looking at the map I don't see where it was years ago. Scrap cars don't sit around in that place though, I can remember 50 years ago following a couple of charactors who would run an add in Penny press that they would haul scrap cars away for a fee of 25 each as long as they could be flat towed and they towed the cars across the scale at Lipsitz and over to the side where they would pull the tires off and throw them in the back of their tow rig that wasn't much better and go back across the scales and collect their money. Before I could get weighed, unloaded, weighed and out the door that car was often already in the Texas Shredder. Funny thing is that those two were often doing that three or four times a day when wages were about 3.50 and hour around Waco.