I ahve 350 that I am putting Hooker headers on, the car will be a summer cruiser and a race once and a while! I bought some gaskets and 12pt bolts from Summit, are these ok, should I use a light coating of hi-temp sealer? I don't want to keep replacing them. thanks
I bought a set of the cheaper white header gaskets from TA Performance and when I installed them on my 350 I put a thin coat of Red Hi-Temp gasket sealer on both sides. I checked the tightness of the bolts after running them the first time and haven't touched them again in the past four years. Make sure the head surface is good and clean and that the header flange is straight and flat.
Gasket goop is a good idea. I would re-torque them 2-3 times down the road. Newer gaskets are just hybred papers and the center can dry and blow out. While the ends are sealed tight. Real asbestos gaskets never leaked.
