[JC396]

Hey Friends,

I ordered a Fel Pro 2805 gasket set for my BB 396. I can't tell if the exhaust gaskets are really for headers or exhaust manifolds. Anyone ever use this gskt. kit/exhaust gasket?

I guess I ought to ask this another way....My headers are round port just under 2 inches. My heads are cast iron square exhaust port. My gskts (came in the Fel Pro kit) are for the square exhaust port. Will they seal these round port headers?

I almost have convinced myself that I need round port header gskts?

What you big blockers think?

Thanks,

jim

 

[pborsari]

Hey Jim,
I was told the round ones would not work with the square port and I needed to get the square ones, so I did (I was told they wouldn't seal correctly). Of course I was lucky to have received the headers that had the square port, as did my engine.
Paul

 

[JC396]

Thanks Paul.

I may have do some close measuring since I've already spent my engine parts budget. This car/engine has been such a missed/matched bunch of parts it's been crazy. The engine was running when I purchased the car and I don't recall any exhaust leaks...I can't remember what gskts were used. The mis-matched ports aren't the best however I will give it a try. It's a "ice cream" getter.

Thanks,

jim

 

[BillK]

Jim,
I have seen them both ways and it really depends on the header flange more than the port in the head. You can make a pattern out of cardboard and take it to someone local that has the gaskets in stock and compare them.

Sometimes the gasket that matches the port will not seal up the header correctly, especially in the corners. And ..... sometimes the gasket that matches the header port will not seal at the head properly There is no rhyme or reason to it and you would be very surprised at how much variation there is in both the head ports and definitely in the header flanges.

You pretty much have to try one and see how it works. I have a box full of open exhaust gasket sets exactly because of this

 

[Bubba's 69]

I used the plain old square port exhaust manifold gaskets. They work fine.

 

[mr 4 speed]

Round port gaskets for headers and square for exhaust manifolds..at least in my world

 

[69-CHVL]

My Hedmans had a round port, the Hookers square. Although, I used the squares on my round Hedmans and it did seal. Not much meat there though.