A tisket, a tasket, for an oil change should I use a gasket?

1

I read this wonderful article on changing oil
https://modeltfordfix.com/changing-the-oil-on-your-model-t-ford/
I have a question however—there was no mention of a gasket for the oil drain plug.
Would there be any advantage of adding a gasket?
Or would a gasket defeat the seal of the drain plug somehow?
i ask because back in the last century I used to change the oil on my air-cooled VW, and there were gaskets on the plug and the studs that held the plate on (and btw, I never could get it to stop leaking oil!)
So should I use a gasket or just forget about it if that’s what Henry did?

2

There should be a fiber washer.

3

Thank you! I’ll look for one at the Model T parts supply outfits

4

I found soft copper washers at my local hardware store so I use those.

5

Interesting! I looked both online (Lang’s) and in a catalog (Snyder’s) and found two different washers for oil drain plugs—one fiber, the other copper (from the illustration it looks like it might be annular—copper wrapped around a fiber core not unlike the Volkswagens)

It is so cold right now it’s going to take a long time for the oil to drain out so I might as well take the plug to the local ACE hardware and see what they have to offer.
Thanks!

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6

In case you’re still in need of a gasket, I bought a sheet of “make your own gasket” material from a parts house such as AutoZone, AdvanceAuto, etc. and cut my own smaller gaskets such as for the drain plug. They aren’t a thing of beauty but they work. i have also used fiber gaskets for other applications and they work well. Hope this helps.