I’ve got the cover off the hogshead to clean the screen. I ordered new gaskets from Lang’s in advance and these new gaskets are paper material.
The old gaskets came apart so I couldn’t save them so it’s a good thing I have new gaskets on hand
except the old gaskets were made of cork.
I think cork would provide a better seal, but maybe cork doesn’t hold up as the old gasket crumbled.
So my question is, which gasket material would work best—paper or cork, or ?
I scraped all the surfaces with a single edge razor blade to remove any debris, and I just want to make sure I use the correct gaskets.
Which gaskets do you use on the cover for your hogshead?
Originals were made of paper. I’ve never come across any made from cork but it might have been popular in the aftermarket at one time. The paper ones seem to work well.
I believe my old gasket is made of paper. I have not scrapped it off as yet but I intend to do so. I am away from home for a few weeks so my whole project got delayed. I have both cork and paper material but intend to use the paper as I will put one below the screen and one above,
Alright then, paper it is!
This requires two gaskets, one between the the baffle and the door, and one between the baffle and the hogshead, but there is no metal to glue the gasket to at the top end, where the baffle forms a funnel to collect the oil thrown by the magnets. This leaves a gap that I expect will cause a mess in short order.
How do you guys handle this? Silicone? Maybe extra thick gasket material?
There are no screws to support a short bit of gasket in place as the screws are at the corners
Not sure what you are asking. I would glue gaskets to both sides of the screen. Maybe add a piece of metal at the top?
The high side of the baffle that funnels the oil is et back from where the gaskets are glued to the baffle, so there is a gap between the two gaskets where the metal would otherwise be. I could glue the gaskets together, but it wouldn’t seal the oil since there would still leave a gasp as both gaskets aren’t thick enough to maintain a seal in that area.
The problem I see with adding a bit of metal is if it should vibrate loose and fall into the hogshead, well, that couldn’t be good!
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My gaskets from Lang’s are trapezoid shaped while the gaskets I found at Chaffin’s are more “U” shaped not having any material where the wide side of the trapezoid where the funnel is (or isn’t). Maybe Chaffin’s is made for a different method of seling? One parts supplier (I forget which one) lists a partial felt gasket for the door(?) Is that what I need?
It’s kind of confusing
How do you seal the gaskets on your door so they don’t leak oil on the high side?
The high side of the baffle that funnels the oil is et back from where the gaskets are glued to the baffle, so there is a gap between the two gaskets where the metal would otherwise be. I could glue the gaskets together, but it wouldn’t seal the oil since there would still leave a gasp.
My gaskets from Lang’s are trapezoid shaped while the gaskets I found at Chaffin’s are more “U” shaped not having any material where the wide side of the trapezoid where the funnel is (or isn’t). Maybe Chaffin’s is made for a different method of seling? One parts supplier (I forget which one) lists a partial felt gasket for the door(?) Is that what I need?
It’s kind of confusing
How do you seal the gaskets on your door so they don’t leak oil on the high side?
I made mine from 1/8" neoprene rubber. Got tired of oil dribbling with the paper gaskets. I made 2 as I also have the screen with the magnet. If I have had the lid off to clean the screen, I spray some brake cleaner on a rag and give everything a wipe. One drawback that I have found, is the rubber trends to stick to the lid and hogs head. You have to be gentle with a thin putty knife and work your way around to get it off, but little to no oil leaks out. And of course, you need slightly longer bolts to accommodate the thicker material.
Thanks for the idea. I wonder if silicon would be oil resistant.
Silicone is oil resistant, but not a great gasket material. That being said, are you referring to using a silicone rubber gasket, or silicone gasket material in a tube. I would only suggest, as it’s your car, not to do silicone gasket maker in a tube. It will be a PITA to get the lid off to make the necessary adjustments in the transmission.
I’ve been spending way too much time on this, so here’s what I ended up doing for better or worse:
I attached both gaskets to the top and bottom of the baffle with Gasgacinch, (which is whole 'nother story but I digress,) and using Permatex ultra black silicon gasket sealer in between the paper gaskets where the gap was—it’s not in contact with the door, the baffle or the hogshead, but how long it will hold up will be the $64 question…
I have a feeling that I’ll eventually end up making gaskets out of silicone sheet, but right now I’m getting impatient,
Since there was no screen originally, only one paper gasket was originally used. I think of it as more like cardboard, as compared to the timer cover and generator gaskets, which really are paper thin.
I’m still not clear on what you mean about the high side near the baffle. I’ve only seen the trapezoidal type gaskets, and one above and one below the screen should fit fine.
There are two problems in getting a good seal. First, the hogshead was a rough, unmachined casting for most of the later production, so the gasket wouldn’t have a good surface to mate to. Then, people tend to over torque the cover screws and warp the cover. Once a screen is added in the middle (with two gaskets), the steel screen can warp as well.
An additional problem that I’ve seen on some hogsheads is that the factory casting mold was cracked, causing the surface to not be flat - I actually had to grind down about 3/16" from a bump on one, or else bend the cover to fit. You could see the marks of the mold cracks in the HH.
What I do is apply Permatex Ultra Black (or some other RTV sealant) between the bottom gasket and the hogshead, and also between the cover and top gasket. Don’t apply any on the sides facing the screen. Then loosely assemble, but only finger tighten the screws . After it has set for 30-60 minutes, you can tighten properly (but still don’t overdue it to avoid warpage). These are standard RTV installation rules.
Now you have gaskets that conform fairly well to both the cover and the hogshead, but which can still be disassembled without destroying the gaskets. I’ve taken the cover off dozens of times with no harm, and the cover never leaks.
You still run the risk of warping the cover further by overtightening, so be careful there, especially if you’ve got an aftermarket brake light switch or something else that uses hex head bolts.
See you on the road!
Stan
Thanks, Stan. That’s a lot of very useful information!
What concerned me is gap where the baffle scoops up the oil so there is no metal " sandwich" between the upper and lower gaskets as the upper side of the trapazoid isn’t straight across.
That’s why I used the Permatex ultra black to fill in the gap between the upper and lower gaskets.
I ordered a new screen from Snyder’s, which should replace the baffle (according to Snyder’s) so I’ll see if this one fits any differently.