i have several questions surrounding engine gaskets for my build...ill be looking for a complete engine gasket kit for a rebuild...yes, i know there are the old stand-by felpros, and theyre good, are there any that are better for a decent price?

1. whats your preferred brand of engine gaskets for a good, long lasting set wth a good seal.
2. what's trash? what brands to avoid(poor fit, not durable, etc)

3. one piece oil pan gaskets...better seal than 4 piece?

4. in the past i have found cork to seal better and for longer, than rubber, any thoughts on this?

5. whats "standard" thickness for a LA 360 head gasket? (1974 model)how thick can you go, and what changes do i have to account for if i used a thicker than normal gasket?

I've always been happy with Fel-Pro, but it depends I think on the intended use of the engine. High performance or stock-ish? You could probably get away with a Rock-Auto gasket set or Victor Reinz as well if mostly stock for a long time. I believe the standard head gasket thickness is .039-.041, but that's memory serving. It would take a massively thicker gasket to cause any problems with intake manifold alignment I would think. If you go performance, I'd think any standard gasket set installed correctly should be alright, but I'd shell out for better than stock head gaskets (like Cometic or something similar) and intake manifold gaskets, and I am a die-hard fan of Remflex header gaskets. 1 piece vs. 4 piece on the oil pan, I'd think the 1 piece would be easier to ensure a seal but either installed correctly should do the trick for a long life. I personally generally like rubber for my valve cover gaskets over cork (metal core rubber even more!), but otherwise find cork quite good for the oil pan, etc. Hope that helps some, and good luck

tis going to be a mostly stock build. with the exception of kb107 pistons and a comp xe262 cam. im trying (with the head gasket question) to calculate my compression ratio. guys...any more opinions on the gasket question?

thanks
brandon