401 exhaust manifold gaskets

[JoeT]

There are those who are adamant about not using exhaust manifold gaskets on a 401 Nailhead. Buck did not use them originally and yet there are gasket sets available for the 401. I took the advice of those against and took mine off but have since had trouble getting the passenger side manifold to seat well against the head. Those against gaskets claim the gaskets can cause cracks in the manifold. I would be interested to hear the other side of the argument. Thanks

[Loren@65GS.com]

For what it is worth, I installed the exhaust manifold gaskets on my nailhead. That was about 14,000 miles ago. The manifolds are still un-cracked. At the time I rebuilt the engine , I guess I didn't know better and installed them because they were in the gasket set. I have since had a lot more nailheads and none have had exhaust manifold gaskets.

 

  Loren