What gasket kit?
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 153
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What gasket kit? Need some guidance on what lower end gasket kit or gaskets should I buy.
I’m LS swapping my bronco. I bought a lq4/lq9 rebuild short block only. I’m doing a l92 top end.
I work as a service advisor and know not to cheap out on gaskets. I’m partial to Mahle but prefer oem. Not a big felt pro fan as I see them leak fairly often. Would you go with mahle or oem? Large price discrepancy though. I can piece together oem from rock auto so that is the route I’m leaning.
I’m LS swapping my bronco. I bought a lq4/lq9 rebuild short block only. I’m doing a l92 top end.
I work as a service advisor and know not to cheap out on gaskets. I’m partial to Mahle but prefer oem. Not a big felt pro fan as I see them leak fairly often. Would you go with mahle or oem? Large price discrepancy though. I can piece together oem from rock auto so that is the route I’m leaning.
TECH Addict
Joined: Dec 2017
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MAHLE is OEM for some mfrs. Wouldn't hesitate to use their stuff.
FelPro is kinda the go-to aftermarket mfr. Same: wouldn't hesitate to use them either. Not sure about "leak fairly often"; hasn't been my experience. Of course I'm just a n00b, only been using FelPro since they came on the market in a big way 45 yrs ago or so, so butt hay, maybe in the long run I'll be shown wrong. Which is fine if it happens.
"OEM" is kinda fuzzy. Both for original assembly, and for stealership replacement. GM doesn't "make" gaskets themselves, they BUY EM from companies that specialize in such matters. For new motors the OE buys gaskets from the low bidder that meets their specs. (Mahle often, Victor-Reinz, maybe FelPro, iunno, it can vary) Not real sure that's a particularly strong recommendation.
Frankly, of all the things that predict success in such matters, following the instructions that come with the parts, rather than the instructions in the FSM (not that they're "wrong" or any such, just, that other things that have been introduced since whatever year, are DIFFERENT) has been the key to success for me over the last half century or so. Too short of a time frame to be definitive though.
FelPro is kinda the go-to aftermarket mfr. Same: wouldn't hesitate to use them either. Not sure about "leak fairly often"; hasn't been my experience. Of course I'm just a n00b, only been using FelPro since they came on the market in a big way 45 yrs ago or so, so butt hay, maybe in the long run I'll be shown wrong. Which is fine if it happens.
"OEM" is kinda fuzzy. Both for original assembly, and for stealership replacement. GM doesn't "make" gaskets themselves, they BUY EM from companies that specialize in such matters. For new motors the OE buys gaskets from the low bidder that meets their specs. (Mahle often, Victor-Reinz, maybe FelPro, iunno, it can vary) Not real sure that's a particularly strong recommendation.
Frankly, of all the things that predict success in such matters, following the instructions that come with the parts, rather than the instructions in the FSM (not that they're "wrong" or any such, just, that other things that have been introduced since whatever year, are DIFFERENT) has been the key to success for me over the last half century or so. Too short of a time frame to be definitive though.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 153
Likes: 28
MAHLE is OEM for some mfrs. Wouldn't hesitate to use their stuff.
FelPro is kinda the go-to aftermarket mfr. Same: wouldn't hesitate to use them either. Not sure about "leak fairly often"; hasn't been my experience. Of course I'm just a n00b, only been using FelPro since they came on the market in a big way 45 yrs ago or so, so butt hay, maybe in the long run I'll be shown wrong. Which is fine if it happens.
"OEM" is kinda fuzzy. Both for original assembly, and for stealership replacement. GM doesn't "make" gaskets themselves, they BUY EM from companies that specialize in such matters. For new motors the OE buys gaskets from the low bidder that meets their specs. (Mahle often, Victor-Reinz, maybe FelPro, iunno, it can vary) Not real sure that's a particularly strong recommendation.
Frankly, of all the things that predict success in such matters, following the instructions that come with the parts, rather than the instructions in the FSM (not that they're "wrong" or any such, just, that other things that have been introduced since whatever year, are DIFFERENT) has been the key to success for me over the last half century or so. Too short of a time frame to be definitive though.
FelPro is kinda the go-to aftermarket mfr. Same: wouldn't hesitate to use them either. Not sure about "leak fairly often"; hasn't been my experience. Of course I'm just a n00b, only been using FelPro since they came on the market in a big way 45 yrs ago or so, so butt hay, maybe in the long run I'll be shown wrong. Which is fine if it happens.
"OEM" is kinda fuzzy. Both for original assembly, and for stealership replacement. GM doesn't "make" gaskets themselves, they BUY EM from companies that specialize in such matters. For new motors the OE buys gaskets from the low bidder that meets their specs. (Mahle often, Victor-Reinz, maybe FelPro, iunno, it can vary) Not real sure that's a particularly strong recommendation.
Frankly, of all the things that predict success in such matters, following the instructions that come with the parts, rather than the instructions in the FSM (not that they're "wrong" or any such, just, that other things that have been introduced since whatever year, are DIFFERENT) has been the key to success for me over the last half century or so. Too short of a time frame to be definitive though.
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 22,285
Likes: 3,613
From: Central Cal.
I do believe that the present state of the gasket art has improved with the type of gaskets used on the LS platform.
Them being reinforced and reusable has just about made them leak-proof compared to all the old cork, neoprene, and paper gaskets, no matter who makes them.
Them being reinforced and reusable has just about made them leak-proof compared to all the old cork, neoprene, and paper gaskets, no matter who makes them.
