Header gasket replacement

So we finally got the blown header gasket out.

Took this array of metric tools to do the job.

And here is the new Doug Thorley header gasket below the blown gasket. These are made of some strange plastic feeling material.

 

Get the OEM multi-layer steel gaskets and use some tin snips and/or a die grinder with a cutoff wheel to customize them to fit with the header's flanges i.e. I removed all of the heat shrouding for the plug wires. Use the DT gasket as a template as you like.

I have 10K on mine at this point and the feel with the multi-layer steel gaskets is much better as you draw up the tension on the supplied DT header bolts to fix the headers to the heads.

Are the flanges on your non-DT headers flat still? Lots of never seize on the bolts is key!

 

Yes, still flat. We had to remove the passanger side header because the heat wrap was coming off. Some of it got really brittle and crumbled into dust. I still have the brand new looking MLS OEM manifold gaskets. Will look into possibly modifying them.

 

I think that will be a good solution. The DT gaskets are strange and I am guessing they might be graphite based like a #2 pencil!...

I was thinking to do the header wrap on my headers too but so far the sticky backed foam with aluminum foil has been holding up well on the starter motor and the fat pipe coming off the AC compressor. I still hate how close the header is to the brake line coil in the PS wheel well and the PS floor insulation I put between the header and cab is looking very cooked at this point. It needs a better solution as the darn fuel line is right there!