oil pan gasket question

[FY1Cuda]

Have a 383 with a windage tray and an increasingly large puddle underneath it.  What are the best gaskets and sealer to use? I think the original arrangement was two cork gaskets which made things kinda squishy when putting it together years ago.  Any advice welcomed.

[mopar jack]

If your going to change gaskets you might as well change the rear main seal. Jegs has the best sealing gasket I've seen. It's a modern design and it is actually a windage tray with a rubber seal surface on both sides. It's reusable but cost $65. In order to reuse you must not use silone sealers or it will cause the rubber seal to break when removing(ask me how I know).

[RzeroB]

Jegs has the best sealing gasket I've seen. It's a modern design and it is actually a windage tray with a rubber seal surface on both sides. It's reusable but cost $65.

I really like the sound of that! That sounds like a innovative solution to an age old problem.

I always use to use two Fel-Pro rubber composit gaskets myself sandwiching the windage tray inbetween them. Never liked or had much luck with the cork gaskets. Even when I torqued the pan bolts to specs, the cork gaskets seemed to develop a split or two at one of the bolt holes and thus a leak. Maybe I used too much Permatex gasket sealer and it softenend them up and caused them to fail? I don't know, just never had good luck with them. But I'm going to remember this Jeg's item if I ever get another big block car.

[Chryco Psycho]

The Mopar kit used to be cheaper than the gaskets alone & includes a new windage tray
They use a fiber gasket non cork , seal it with some right stuff sealer & it won't leak

[FY1Cuda]

Thanks for all the info.  I'm going to stick with the windage tray I already have, but the Jeg's tray does sound like a pretty good idea (although it's not metal).  I'll probably go with FelPro 1808 composite gaskets ($11 each).  I'm going to look for the Right Stuff sealant.  I had  never heard of it, but read a lot of good things about it.

[dodj]

FY1, is the job do-able with the engine in place? 

[mopar jack]

Hardest part doing it in place is disconnecting the drag link from the pitman and idler arms. I use a 1/4" drive socket set with long extension and a universal to remove the pan bolts. Not much fun laying on your back and oil dripping in your face while you clean the gasket surface but better than pulling the motor.

[FY1Cuda]

Yeah, getting the steering link out of the way is a nuisance.  After cleaning things up a little I can see that most of the problem is the rear main seal. Is getting the top half of that out doable?  As far as oil dripping, I was planning on draining it and waiting a day or two before getting into it.  As it stands right now, I think I'm going to wait a couple of weeks before tackling it.  Thanks for the info.