Felpro PermaTorque gasket placement

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pablon2

Registered User
Putting the headgaskets on this weekend. Noticed that when I took the original ones off they did not have the same side facing up. IIRC, the passenger side gasket had the side facing up where the fire ring is a complete circle BUT the driver side had that side facing the block. I know the gaskets read 'front' on them, but does that mean the word 'front' has to face the front of the block OR merely be facing up? Seems strange that the gaskets would be flipped from side to side. P.S. I don't have the install instructions for the gaskets so it is a tad daunting. :rolleyes:
 
Front is Front

pablon2 said:
Putting the headgaskets on this weekend. Noticed that when I took the original ones off they did not have the same side facing up. IIRC, the passenger side gasket had the side facing up where the fire ring is a complete circle BUT the driver side had that side facing the block. I know the gaskets read 'front' on them, but does that mean the word 'front' has to face the front of the block OR merely be facing up? Seems strange that the gaskets would be flipped from side to side. P.S. I don't have the install instructions for the gaskets so it is a tad daunting. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Make sure the word "front" is facing toward the front; it makes no difference if one gasket is upside down. It's critical that they be oriented properly so that the passage holes line up correctly with the head and deck.

Good Luck,

JD
 
Are they the 26199 gaskets? If so just flip and make sure that the front goes to the front. I went through the same thing about a month ago :confused:
 
If the gaskets are marked left and right, then that's where they go, left and right. If they are marked upper, then you gotta put up up, and left and right just references which side of the block.

The 9263pt goes like attached picture.
 

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shotbirdsc said:
Are they the 26199 gaskets? If so just flip and make sure that the front goes to the front. I went through the same thing about a month ago :confused:
Click to expand...

The gaskets are the ones that come in the Felpro upper engine gasket set so they are not the 26199. Are the 26199s worth the extra $20/set? I see that they indicate 'MLS' in the description so I am assuming 'yes'. The ones I have are 9642PT which is the same part number for both sides unlike the MLS. SO TO CONFIRM.....I just need to make sure the word 'front' is showing and is frontward, correct? Of course the gaskets will be flipped, but I assume that is correct since the OEM gaskets were the same way.
 
Paul,
Note in that picture, the rear cooling passages are open. The front ones are completely blocked.

I don't know the perfect answer. You may wanna ping dalke with an e-mail and a couple pictures.
 
MLS runout

Thinking about running the SC Felpro MLS gaskets. I have seen it written that these require a milled deck. Is this absolutely necessary? Headgaskets never blew on this engine and it has only 30,000 or so miles on it. What is the recommended "allowable" runout for MLS gaskets?
 
Its not about the runout with them, its surface prep---they require a near mirror finish on both the block and head for proper seal..........Dan
 
In case you didnt find the answer. The drivers side does face down. I went coocoo when I did my head gasgets because of this. As long as the front in towards the front it will be right (one upside down)
 
Dahoopd said:
In case you didnt find the answer. The drivers side does face down. I went coocoo when I did my head gasgets because of this. As long as the front in towards the front it will be right (one upside down)
Click to expand...

I went even "coocooier" than you....the gaskets say front on both sides b/c they are interchangeable. So, it really shouldn't matter which side (full fire ring showing or not) faces up on whichever side of the block so long as the word 'front' faces up and is at the front of the block. Anyone let me know if I STILL have it confused.
 
Yeah, it's the Mustang left and rights that say Up as each one is different. It sounds like the SC set is setup for front, front. Thus ensuring cooling ports are wear they should be.

Deck finish... No one is going to tell you to not have a mirror finish on the deck.

That said, there are folks running the MLS gasket without the mirror finish. The real key seems to be make sure you are using the Permatorque version of the MLS gasket that has a rubberized coating on it as well as areas for sealing the cooling passages. These gaskets are more forgiving with surface quality.

The original Ford Mustang MLS gaskets were just steel, no coating.
 
Here's the definitive answer at least for the '90 block I am working on....the decks for passenger and driver's sides are different. The deck/sleeve configuration for the pass side matches the side of the gasket that faces the deck and the same is true for the driver side. Those that have looked very closely at a block know what I am talking about.
 
How many have used the new part # that applies to our engine 26199pt and how are the coolant passages different compared to the 98 mustang felpro MLS
 
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