Engine: Best thin/shim steel gasket

[Paul Keller]

Am re-sealing cylinder heads on a 1963 289 and need the thin-shim head gaskets (to maintain quench space of .035 - .040"). Which is the best manufacterer's to use.

Thanks for your viewpoint,
paulk

[Bud]

I don't know that you have a choice of manufacturers for shim head gaskets. If I remember correctly, Victor was the original manufacturer of the shim gaskets, but they no longer produce those gaskets and as far as I know, neither does Fel Pro. The last time I bought gaskets, they were being produced by someone else using the original tooling from Victor and they worked well. If you can find shim gaskets buy them, I suspect they will do a good job. Bud

[41 Frank]

What I know about this is that no shim gaskets are available from Fel Pro and others. The company that had these reproduced for our vendors in the past had the dies made and a run of shim gaskets produced. Sometime after that the dies that were used were mistakenly discarded by the producer. The last I heard the wholesaler to the Studebaker vendors was planning on having another die made. ( An expensive proposition) This was several years ago however.

[64studeavanti]

If you can't find some, let me know. I bought several sets at the international meet in 2007.

[Paul Keller]

Thanks for the gasket status - I'll search further to see what is available.

paulk

[64studeavanti]

Mystudebaker.com (Stephen Allen) is showing shim gaskets for $48/pair. Studebakerparts.com is showing shim gasket for $25/each. There are likely other suppliers as well.