Moparts
Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets?
Posted By: pjc360
Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/24/14 05:05 AM
I ask this question because I have had horrible luck with the gasket I have been trying to run and keep running because I can get them cheap and locally. I run a 1 inch 4 hole phenolic carburetor spacer on top of my manifold and I run a quick fuel super street series 680cfm vaccum secondary carburetor.
I run a standard open gasket on top of my manifold and under my spacer, and then I run a 4 hole gasket on top of my 4 hole spacer nd underneath my carburetor. The gasket I have been running and having issues with is the Mr Gasket 55 4 hole gasket.
They last for about 2 or 3 months and then there is a vaccum leak at the front corner, its like the seal just disappears, you can see the seal on the rest of the gasket except in the passenger front corner.
Are these gaskets just junk? And if so what are some good gaskets to try? I can always tell when the gasket has lost it's seal my idle becomes unstable and I can hear and feel miss fires. I have had this happen 2 or 3 times in the last year. All I can figure is these gaskets just suck, or carburetor base gaskets require changing a lot more then I would have thought.
Posted By: fourgearsavoy
Re: Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/24/14 05:19 AM
Superformance makes the best gaskets for most of your needs. His name is Greg and his handle here on Moparts is roadhazard.
Gus
Posted By: m88mark
Re: Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/24/14 05:24 AM
Quote:
I ask this question because I have had horrible luck with the gasket I have been trying to run and keep running because I can get them cheap and locally. I run a 1 inch 4 hole phenolic carburetor spacer on top of my manifold and I run a quick fuel super street series 680cfm vaccum secondary carburetor.
I run a standard open gasket on top of my manifold and under my spacer, and then I run a 4 hole gasket on top of my 4 hole spacer nd underneath my carburetor. The gasket I have been running and having issues with is the Mr Gasket 55 4 hole gasket.
They last for about 2 or 3 months and then there is a vaccum leak at the front corner, its like the seal just disappears, you can see the seal on the rest of the gasket except in the passenger front corner.
Are these gaskets just junk? And if so what are some good gaskets to try? I can always tell when the gasket has lost it's seal my idle becomes unstable and I can hear and feel miss fires. I have had this happen 2 or 3 times in the last year. All I can figure is these gaskets just suck, or carburetor base gaskets require changing a lot more then I would have thought.
Superperformance, sponser here Great gaskets top notch Mark
Posted By: Dunnuck Racing
Re: Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/24/14 05:47 AM
X 3 on Greg at Superformance. I used his carburetor base gaskets on a Carburetor test session for an article. Several carbs with the same base gasket and one under the throttle linkage adapter. No sticking and sealed well after many R and R sessions.
Keith
Posted By: 340SHORTY
Re: Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/24/14 05:53 AM
Have you checked your spacer to see if its warped ?
Posted By: zrxkawboy
Re: Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/24/14 06:35 AM
Quote:
Have you checked your spacer to see if its warped ?
My thought exactly. If it's always the same corner...
Posted By: RapidRobert
Re: Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/24/14 06:02 PM
My last Felpro thick base gasket, the 4 brass inserts in the corner holes were a bit too tall & were causing a vac leak. I tamped em down slightly & that took care of that. As said if the same spot is leakin I'd do a close visual.
Posted By: Chris2581
Re: Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/24/14 10:36 PM
X4 on Superformance Gaskets.They are the best.
Posted By: roadhazard
Re: Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/25/14 12:32 AM
X 1,000,000,000 on Superformance Products
Hey thanks for all the votes of confidence guys, much appreciated!! We're happy that your satisfied with the products
As stated above check all your surfaces to be sure they are flat and true.
To see our full line gasket catalog please click the link in my signature line. Once on our website you can also see a list of stocking distributors.
Posted By: pjc360
Re: Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/25/14 06:20 AM
I never thought about the spacer being warped because it's basically brand new , it only has like 4 or 5 thousand miles on it. But it makes sense. I have a 1/2 4 hole phenolic spacer, maybe I should run that one instead. How do I check the spacer for being warped?
Posted By: 340SHORTY
Re: Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/25/14 09:19 AM
put a sheet of fine sandpaper on something real smooth. hold the spacer down in the middle. work the spacer around in a figure 8 motion. look for spaces that are not being scuffed.
Posted By: moparlifer
Re: Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/25/14 04:07 PM
Super performance is #1! Their site is on line.
Posted By: roadhazard
Re: Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/25/14 04:26 PM
Quote:
I never thought about the spacer being warped because it's basically brand new , it only has like 4 or 5 thousand miles on it. But it makes sense. I have a 1/2 4 hole phenolic spacer, maybe I should run that one instead. How do I check the spacer for being warped?
Check for flatness using a straight edge, metal ruler, piece of bar stock, whatever just as long as it's straight and flat.
Check corner to corner, side to side and catty corner. Top and bottom, also check the intake flange and carburetor base plate.
In response to your PM here is a link to the catalog. Open the catalog and scroll down until you get to the carburetor gaskets. All the info you should need for them is there. Keep scrolling down for the price sheet.
http://www.superformanceproducts.com/catalog.php
If you would like to purchase some click on the "Distributors" tab and choose from the links where you would like to purchase them from.
Any questions just ask
Posted By: RapidRobert
Re: Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/25/14 04:39 PM
Quote:
How do I check the spacer for being warped?
Set it on a pane of glass. EDIT Also use it to do your figure 8 sandpaper sanding if needed
Posted By: pjc360
Re: Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/28/14 05:30 PM
So I grabbed a few sheets of 220 grit sand paper and placed them on a big piece of glass and started moving the spacer around in a figure 8 motion and some of the spacer was being sanded and some of it wasn't being sanded. I'm guessing the spots that were being sanded were the high spots?
Anyways I moved it around in a figure 8 motion a few times. Do you think it is straight enough now? I don't have a straight edge but I do have a ruler, whats the best way to tell if it's straight after sanding it in a figure 8 motion?
Posted By: RapidRobert
Re: Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/28/14 06:46 PM
(1) yes (2) keep sanding till all (or almost all) of the base is being touched by the paper. Finish with some finer grit than 220. keeping it parallel with even force is the key.
Posted By: roadhazard
Re: Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/28/14 06:50 PM
Yes the parts that were being sanded were high spots.
"Is it straight enough now?"
Have no clue...... I can't see it
Use the ruler and a .005" feeler gauge. Set the edge of the ruler on the spacer and try to fit the feeler gauge under it. Try this on the piece of glass first to be sure the ruler is straight
Also check your manifold and carb base
Posted By: pjc360
Re: Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/28/14 09:20 PM
well I have sanded on a piece of glass in a figure 8 motion and I have grabbed my ruler and put the ruler on it's edge and I have .006 feeler gauge and I cant fit the .006 feeler gauge under the ruler. There are a couple tiny spots where there is still some shiny black as opposed to how the rest of the spacer looks since being sanded.
I figured I would continue to sand in a figure 8 motion until there are no shiny black spots and double check it with the ruler and feeler gauge and if I cant fit the feeler gauge under the ruler then I will consider it flat, at least flatter then it was.
Am I doing this correctly?
Posted By: RapidRobert
Re: Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/28/14 10:14 PM
I'd say you are in real good shape. Spacers are wide & the gasket/cement will take care of anything that ain't dead on perfectly flat & you're way better then "close". As said check the other flat surfaces as it just takes one warped one to effect a leak
Posted By: pjc360
Re: Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/28/14 10:32 PM
dam well I sure hope my carburetor isn't warped, it's brand new and doesn't even have a thousand miles on it. It's a quick fuel super street series supposes to be made of good billet aluminum. And I have never over tightend the carburetor nuts. I always torque them to 8 ft lbs. I sure hope the carburetor isn't warped, I would probably cry. paid 560 bucks for that thing.
Posted By: YO7_A66
Re: Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/28/14 10:42 PM
Have you inspected your intake at that corner to make sure that there are no cracks around that mounting stud/threaded hole?
Posted By: pjc360
Re: Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/28/14 11:47 PM
ya I don't believe it is the intake manifold. There are no cracks in it anywhere. I truly believe the problem was in the spacer. I must have over tightend my edelbrock carburetor on top of the spacer and warped it. Hopefully it didn't d o any damage to my quick fuel. I wouldn't think so since I have never tightend the carburetor nuts tighter then what quick fuels spec is which is 8 ft lbs. And it hasn't had a whole lot of miles put on it. I'm pulling the carburetor off here in about an hour. and i'll check it out.
Posted By: pjc360
Re: Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/29/14 01:08 AM
well pulled the carburetor off and I don't see any cracks in the base plate and I held my ruler across it on its edge and I couldn't slip the feeler gauge under the ruler anywhere. I pulled my current 1 inch 4 hole spacer off that I was running which was having trouble sealing in the passenger front corner. I had a 1/2 4 hole spacer that was brand new and I decided to sand it on flat glass first and even being bran new it wasn't true and flat.
So the 1 inch 4 hole spacer I am starting on now, I'm going to sand it the same way I did the other one and it should solve my problem of not being able to seal a gasket in the front left corner.
Posted By: pjc360
Re: Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/29/14 01:18 AM
there are a lot of spots on this 1 inch phenolic spacer that aren't sanding, which tells me it wasn't really close to being perfectly flat.
Is torqueing my carburetor stud nuts to 8 ft lbs too much? Because that's what quick fuel says to torque them at.
Posted By: RapidRobert
Re: Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/29/14 01:30 AM
8 ft lbs is fine crisscrossing in even steps. as long as the carb & spacer bolt holes dont hit the bolts & the carb/spacer are seated all the way down & I know you're aware/past that (potential problem).
Posted By: roadhazard
Re: Who makes the best carburetor base gaskets? - 01/29/14 01:47 AM
Don't forget to check the intake manifold for flat also.