I almost got nuts like those Emsvitil. But they only had 4 of them. So, I went to my hardware store, and found the 10X1.25 nuts and lock washers. Which was the same as I had on there before. I think I need to replace them every couple years, to keep things fresh.
I did surface my ex mani. I used a straight edge and my belt sander, and I got it pretty good. I will see how long the Fel-Pro gasket lasts. It looks to be paper, and some metal. The one I took off, had the graphite material on it, and it crushed pretty good, for a good seal.
OH, and if your head has the pear shaped exhaust, and your truck is 87 or older, get the gasket kit for an 88 or higher. 87 and lower come with just holes. I learned this the hard way this weekend. And going from a 20R mani to a proper 22R mani, I had to move 1 stud, and add another. If you look at the 2, there will be a difference between the gaskets between the #2 and #3 cylinders.
So some head gasket comparison. I ordered the OEM one from Putney. Along with a couple other gaskets. Well, I didn't need 2 of the 3 gaskets. But I screwed up and should have ordered the exhaust gasket. They measure the same thickness, just a hair over 1/16" of an inch. But the OEM looks and feels alot better than the Fel-Pro one. The Fel-Pro has a sticky coating over both sides. And is flimsy when handling it. Alot of the holes had metal surrounds in the OEM, Fel-Pro did not. You can see all the metal in the OEM, but the metal in the Fel-Pro was covered with the gasket material.
OEM on the left/top, Fel-Pro on the right/bottom.
OEM has this extra seal for the timing chain area. In the FSM they say to put sealant over the joint between the timing cover and block. Well you don't have to do it with this gasket.
The metal between the cylinders and around the cylinders on the Fel-Pro was rough, but the OEM was smooth.
I also ordered the Putney intake gasket with the added rubber bead around the coolant ports. Come to find out Fel Pro does it on all the ports. But they only do it for the head, and not the union for the upper and lower intake. hmm. They also did this for a couple smaller gaskets. The OEM Putney one has a nice rubberized feel to it, and the Fel Pro feels like paper.
I will be making another order from Putney for the longer exhaust studs, and exhaust gasket. I got my air injection block offs today in the mail, and they are really thick. The stud is flush with the end of the stud, but that is without a lock washer in there. But that will happen in a couple months. Things are getting expensive. And I need it running soon!!
