Reply to "Sealing bottom cover bolts"

Thoughts: the stock grade-zero 1/4-20 SAE bolts are amazingly weak but need careful torquing (don't have the value handy but it's in inch-pounds), and the front & rear pairs of bolts are 5/16-18 SAE needing slightly MORE torque. Second, if you coat the block-only with RTV silicone before adding the gaskets, it's easier to remove the pan or gasket without it cementing itself to the metal. Third, the thin steel pan rails are VERY easy to bend, which pinches the gaskets in pieces with over-torque (just before a bolt snaps off). Be SURE the pan rails are flat without waves. The rails can be straightened blacksmith-style with a hammer & vise-grip pliers plus a thick strip of steel, & you'll be startled to find how easily they bend. Cork pan gaskets in some rebuild kits are easier to crush in pieces than the 'composite' gasket types. I've also seen steel rocker cover leaks that ran down the block so some think the pan is leaking (same gasket problems).

I sympathise- it's a real problem to get stock OR aftermarket pans (or rocker covers) to seal off completely. And even the best job doesn't last long with a bent rail....