Gasket help Please.

I am going to re gasket my 360 in my Duster(leaks everything)
is there certain sealants that are better to use on certain gaskets and what is preferred to clean gasket surfaces with,
I haven't done this in thirty years and I guess I care more now.
Thanks for any info, Dave

I just did my oil and trans pans, got tired of seepage. I used fiber gaskets and "The Right Stuff' sealant. Bought it on E-Bay. It's been a few weeks and no leaks.

fiber gaskets tend to wick oil. Steel core, silicone coated gaskets seal much better.

single edge razor blade. FelPro intake gaskets with the raised blue bead (I forget the #) with Permatex Indian Head sealer (light on the intake ports/heavier on the water port openings). Same cement & cork is fine on the pan (make sure the pan rails are pretty flat. use care on the front/rear seals & same cement there. likely you will need some slight alterating on the front/rear seals/gasket fitment, mockup dry first. make sure you have the timing cover & water pump gasket turned the right way (easy to see on the TC gasket/harder to see on the pump one but hold it up there & you will see there is a slight bit more contact area with it one way than the other way. some front bolts are wet, use the same sealer. the t cover, have it just snug then start the damper halfway to center the t cover then tighten the t cover the rest of the way. some intake end cork gaskets are too thick, depends on milling, mockup first & mockup intake side gaskets also (check bolt hole alignment. You ain't milling anything so you should still be good but just sayin. EDIT Do the t cover before the pan MORE EDIT on second thought get that handle/tool that holds a razor blade.

Milidon makes a nice one piece oil pan gasket for the 360 with a steel core.

Rubber valve cover gaskets with the steel rings at the bolts to prevent overtightening are great.

There are specific sealants for the type of fluid your going up against so seek those out rather than just using the black or blue RTV that most people use. Never had any long term luck with the blue or black stuff and have not bought either in many years

No better time to replace the freeze plugs with brass ones while it's out. Use the hardening Permatex form a gasket in the holes before driving the plugs back in.

If the thermostat housing leaks tape sandpaper on a 100% flat surface and sand the housing sealing surface until it's flat. Small pits can be filled with JB weld. If it's visibly warped your best bet is to get a new one.

No, Milodon makes a nice one piece steel core oil pan gasket for the Magnum engines.

Unless you are using a Magnum oil pan on that 360 it will leak if you use that gasket unmodified. I forget the mods needed to make it work offhand.

Running a kevko oil pan.

Clean surfaces and flat surfaces. Most gaskets are soft enough to seal minor imperfections in their contact surface but if your oil pan and valve covers are stamped steel, it's a good idea to take a straight edge to them. Especially at the bolt locations. Too much tightening over the years causes the holes to distort like an inverted funnel. The result is that it's not a flat surface anymore. Tightening without a crossing pattern can warp the pan rail. It may be very slight but it will show up eventually.