TC oil pan gasket question

[RacerX]

Greetings all, I'm ready to replace the oil pan gaskets on my twincam. Got the cork set from RD. The question I have is- on the long side pan gaskets there are little tabs at the ends that clearly go into the groove for the front and rear end gaskets. That all makes sense but when I test fit the end gaskets alone they extend all the way down and seat flat on the horizontal surface- right where the "tabs" from the long side gaskets would live. Should I be trimming one side or the other? Some of the advise I've read  says install the end gaskets first, ok, but then I'm cutting the tabs off the side gaskets... which makes no sense. I'm leaning towards trimming the end gaskets a bit and letting them overlap. Thoughts? Thanks, Mark

[jbcollier]

A picture would be worth a 1000 words.  Generally gaskets do not lay on top of each other, they nest together.  There are either slots or recesses so the gaskets can overlap and maintain the same thickness.  I have done lots and lots of oil pan gaskets and it is usually pretty obvious how they fit together.

[BDA]

I put the gaskets on the rails first. I don’t remember if I put the end pieces on the main caps or in the pan - I think on the end caps. I put a little extra goo on the ends of the end pieces. IIRC, the tabs went under the end pieces. It’s important not to over tighten the pan bolts. I believe they should be tightened to 6 ft-lbs.

Since I use synthetic oil, I used Permatex Ultra Synthetic gasket goo. Whatever goo you use, make sure it’s compatible with your oil.

[RacerX]

Thanks JB and BDA, the more I work with these it seems like they are supposed to stack.

[BDA]

Yes! That's the way they go.

[jbcollier]

Yup, that's correct.  Cork will compress, so be careful when trimming any length.  This is one place where I will use an oil-proof, silicone sealer -- but SPARINGLY.  More is not better.  I would glue the side pieces to the block and lightly apply silicone to either side of the "U" pieces.  Use a light sealer on the open face of the side pieces (Permatex Aviation #3, Hylomar Blue, etc).  Gradually tight to torque spec in small stages in a cross/circular pattern starting with the middle bolts then outwards.  If you over tighten a cork gasket, it will spread and split.