jframe Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 Would y'all say this is good enough to use or is it pitted? Started leaking thermostat n my 65 just sitting in the garage during our single digit cold spell and I just put a t stat in in the summer when I had the radiator fixed. So I just want some opinions before I reuse this or buy a new one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dales90 Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 Might go for new one. Quite a bit to hope a gasket would absorb the pits 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NailheadBob Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 I have used permatex sealant # 80019 and a gasket and mine had more pitting than yours and mine did not leak. Bob 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 I would be tempted to dress the surface with a flat file. Pits could be filled with JB-Weld and sanded smooth. Make sure the flange isn't cracked and the bolts aren't bottoming in their holes. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gungeey Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 Sheet of emery cloth or 80 grit sandpaper on a flat surface for 5 minutes will clean that right up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 2 hours ago, gungeey said: Sheet of emery cloth or 80 grit sandpaper on a flat surface for 5 minutes will clean that right up. Or even more aggressive. There’s no critical dimensions to that base. I’d be tempted to put the 80 grit on my orbital sander, clamp the sander into my vise, and work it down, then change to a finer grit to give it a good sealing surface. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jframe Posted January 3, 2023 Author Share Posted January 3, 2023 Thanks for all the replies. I actually discovered that James at Best Offer Counts offers a new one with correct shaped gasket shipped to the house for about 40 bucks. I figure, like several of you, that the old one can be saved, but I have already done this job once back in summer when I did the radiator. Got to thinking that a new one may just eliminate that variable, so I ordered one today. Prolly will keep this one as a spare. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 Take your housing into your local jobbers. Match it up to what he has on hand. I think that you’ll find a Ford gasket from some 390 will fit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gungeey Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 Using this gasket maker on the old one will get you better results than a new gooseneck and a gasket. They just frigging leak with a gasket 😆 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 I’ve never had a problem with leaks using an old housing and a new gasket if you install the new gasket with a little sealer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gungeey Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 Well, obviously you would never get a leak, Ed. But I've gotten seepage using a gasket and some sealer and Tom started a thread about getting a leak using the pictured used part so apparently others do get leaks. The water manifold surface may have a little corrosion. The Right Stuff seems to easily solve the issue without much ado for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seafoam65 Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 (edited) Do NOT use a gasket!!!!!!!! Put it on with the "Right Stuff" by Permatex. This would seal the old housing as well. If you use a gasket sooner or later you are going to have a seep that damages the paint around the housing. I figured this out about 40 years ago......way way up on the learning curve. The reason the old housing is pitted is because coolant has been leaking under it. Edited January 3, 2023 by Seafoam65 (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jframe Posted January 3, 2023 Author Share Posted January 3, 2023 11 minutes ago, Seafoam65 said: Do NOT use a gasket!!!!!!!! Put it on with the "Right Stuff" by Permatex. This would seal the old housing as well. If you use a gasket sooner or later you are going to have a seep that damages the paint around the housing. I figured this out about 40 years ago......way way up on the learning curve. The reason the old housing is pitted is because coolant has been leaking under it. Keep hearing good things about that stuff. Already have a new housing coming, so I may pick up a tube of that and try what you said. Can't hurt; this is my second round with the thing since summer; getting pretty good at it lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 The key with using the "Right Stuff" gasket maker is to apply the bead to the flange so it surrounds the opening AND the bolt holes. Install the flange but only tighten the bolts FINGER TIGHT and let it stand. I think the directions say 60 ~ 90 minutes, but I like to let it sit overnight if possible. THEN torque the bolts to spec. Do check first to ensure the bolts are not bottoming. I had that issue with my '67. Someone replaced one of the bolts with a hardware store bolt that was slightly longer than the original. When it continued to leak they apparently kept twisting the head. So, when I went to remove it, the head snapped off. I'm going to re-do the thermostat housing on my '67 with some gasketmaker since I see that it now is slowly weeping again, since I replaced the gasket a couple of years ago... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 Someone needs to come up with a way to cut matching grooves into the water manifold and thermostat housing to accept an O-ring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gungeey Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 This gasket cooked right out. Aluminum and cast iron expands at different rates. The right stuff stays elastic and expands with the heat. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jframe Posted January 4, 2023 Author Share Posted January 4, 2023 30 minutes ago, RivNut said: Someone needs to come up with a way to cut matching grooves into the water manifold and thermostat housing to accept an O-ring. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://user.cavenet.com/tmac1/buick%20water%20pumps.html&ved=2ahUKEwiTl9eP4Kz8AhU2RzABHWu3CnoQFnoECDIQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3bNpfiuIb8TEmpS5oQlxTR 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jframe Posted January 7, 2023 Author Share Posted January 7, 2023 When it rains it pours. New housing on with Right Stuff gasket maker. The left bolt hole appears to be stripped; it won't tighten or torque. At first I thought the flange on the new housing might be thinner, but nope. It's a great match. Any ideas before I start thinking I have to replace the water manifold? Possibly chase the hole with the same size tap as the bolt and see if that works? Maybe find a shorter bolt for that hole? Any idea on the thread size? Wish my old man was still around; he was an old time tool and die maker for over 30years, and he could not only tell the thread size by looking, he could also engineer a good fix without replacing anything. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted January 7, 2023 Share Posted January 7, 2023 Are they blind holes? I had an issue with my '67 where someone replaced one of the bolts with one slightly longer than original. That was enough to cause it to bottom-out in the threaded hole on the manifold. Since it couldn't be properly torqued, every time someone 'tightened' the bolt all it did was twist the head, which snapped off when I tried to remove it. Make sure your bolts are not too long for the holes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jframe Posted January 8, 2023 Author Share Posted January 8, 2023 44 minutes ago, EmTee said: Are they blind holes? I had an issue with my '67 where someone replaced one of the bolts with one slightly longer than original. That was enough to cause it to bottom-out in the threaded hole on the manifold. Since it couldn't be properly torqued, every time someone 'tightened' the bolt all it did was twist the head, which snapped off when I tried to remove it. Make sure your bolts are not too long for the holes... Same bolts that were in it when I replaced the t stat this past summer. I may try a shorter bolt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 Stick a piece of stiff wire or a drill bit into the hole to measure the depth. Compare that with your bolts. There should be at least 1/8" (I'd prefer to see 3/16") gap between the end of the bolt and bottom of the hole with everything tight. Note that using gasket maker in lieu of a gasket will likely make the bolts sit a bit deeper... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jframe Posted January 8, 2023 Author Share Posted January 8, 2023 Got to looking closer and discovered the water crossover is broken at the hole where the bolt wouldn't tighten. Either yours truly overtightened it or time and age caused it; don't know, but either way, I'm going to have to find one. Prolly why it was leaking to begin with. How difficult is this job? Never done it; it's really only about 4 bolts but do the ac and power steering brackets have to come completely off or is there enough wiggle room to slide the old one out and a new one with gaskets and o ring back in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gungeey Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 There's a 5th bolt lower on the ac bracket. Again the water manifold books go into the water jacket use the right stuff. Use gaskets for the water manifold to head surface if you don't the o ring seal will be off center. Your biggest job is finding a nice water manifold. You will. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jframe Posted January 16, 2023 Author Share Posted January 16, 2023 Okay, I got the four bolts holding the crossover on out with no issues; just took some penetrating lube and a cheater bar. Problem now, is that the crossover just won't budge. I wonder if someone has gotten all crazy with RTV in the past when they had it off? I know that this thing has to pull UP rather than OUT to avoid timing cover damage, but does anyone have any ideas on the best way to go about it? Is there a way to try to dissolve some of the gasket sealing the crossover to the heads? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 Can you safely get a little heat on the joints to loosen up the sealer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jframe Posted January 16, 2023 Author Share Posted January 16, 2023 Just now, EmTee said: Can you safely get a little heat on the joints to loosen up the sealer? Prolly so. Most likely need to remove the heater hose off the water pump first. Have also heard to try a putty knife and hammer as well as spraying the area with penetrating oil as well. I mean this thing is STUCK 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NailheadBob Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 Once both flanges are free, you may have corrosion between water manifold and timing cover case to load up with PB blaster to free up and go upward with water manifold. Bob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gungeey Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 (edited) If the ac bracket still] pressed up against itloosen up those 2 front compressor bolts so you have a little wiggle room Your gonna need it to clean and install. You can use a pry bar to leverage a little persuasion to remove the manifold Edited January 16, 2023 by gungeey (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jframe Posted January 17, 2023 Author Share Posted January 17, 2023 Going to have to pretty much remove all the front end accessories. Got the driver side to lift up but it hits the p/s bracket where it folds over. Got to crawl under the car and take the brace off the bottom of that bracket to allow the pump to just slide forward some. Tha a/c bracket is held with a head bolt at the rear and water pump bolt at the front. Really kind of spooked to loosen either of those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gungeey Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 I'm sure you removed the 5th bolt on the ac bracket.. It goes thru the bracket and water pump. You can get enough flex in the bracket to continue the job. Wedge a piece of wood where that 5th bolt was. With all that said, I have loosened that head bolt numerous times with no problem putting aside all the hemming and hawwing. Retourqe to mid range of fsm specs. 75? Nice time to R&R fuel pump if it's of age. Most of not all of those 5 bolts go into the block water passages so use the sealer right stuff 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jframe Posted January 21, 2023 Author Share Posted January 21, 2023 Slowly but surely. Got the water pump bracket bolt out without issues. Poured coolant from the hole; must be in a water jacket. Discovered the top tab for the ac bracket was snapped clean off, no telling how long it's been this way. Anyone use the Alan Grove bracket for the Sanden compressor before ona Vintage Air install? Looks like it has all bolts, nuts, and spacers to mount it in factory location and appears to mount the compressor without having to use the support bracket on the rear that crosses the valve cover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulldogDriver Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 Alan Grove bracket Ray 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jframe Posted January 22, 2023 Author Share Posted January 22, 2023 Also replacing a leaking power steering pump in this process. Got the nut off the pulley, how does the pulley come off in the car? Heat and pry bars? Rented a ps pulley puller from O'Reilly and can't see how it would work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gungeey Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 It's a light press fit. don't pry it off you'll distort the sphere. Use a gear puller it'll slide right off. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 1 hour ago, jframe said: Also replacing a leaking power steering pump in this process. Mission creep. Careful -- it's a slippery slope! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gungeey Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 One of these bro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jframe Posted January 22, 2023 Author Share Posted January 22, 2023 1 minute ago, gungeey said: One of these bro Yep, I see O'Reilly has one in four inch and six inch. Think I need the larger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jframe Posted January 22, 2023 Author Share Posted January 22, 2023 Got it all disassembled, FINALLY. Got the water manifold off, ps pump off and all brackets removed. Started with a razor blade on cleaning the head surface where the crossover mounts. Quite time consuming lol. Took these pics of the timing cover where the manifold nipple goes in, and to my definitely amateur eye, it really doesn't look bad. Weird thing was, I could find NO evidence of the oring, either in the timing cover or on the water manifold. Odd because the original leak was around the housing gasket, not the nipple. Now got to try to get stuff as clean as I can and wait on parts, get new ps pump, etc. Thinking that Alan Grove ac bracket is the way to go, it has all new hardware and comes with detailed instructions sheet on where it all goes. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 To my eye, the o-ring is still in the front cover; it’s just smashed in there. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jframe Posted January 22, 2023 Author Share Posted January 22, 2023 27 minutes ago, RivNut said: To my eye, the o-ring is still in the front cover; it’s just smashed in there. May be right, I just got cold and tired and came inside. I'll check that better tomorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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