61 Lark new question

[drnittler]

For my 61 Lark 6 OHV I had the head rebuilt. Since I had it done, there has been a slight leak between the thermostat housing and head, where the gasket goes.
These are the things I have done:
1. New Housing.
2. New Gasket.
3. Clean and locktight bolts.
4. Made sure all surfaces are flat.
The leak happens when the engine is cold. It seems that the bolts loosen up or the gasket shrinks? Any ideas??

PS What is the correct oil pressure with a warm motor and 30 weight oil??

David G. Nittler

[r1lark]

quote:Originally posted by drnittler

For my 61 Lark 6 OHV I had the head rebuilt. Since I had it done, there has been a slight leak between the thermostat housing and head, where the gasket goes.
These are the things I have done:
1. New Housing.
2. New Gasket.
3. Clean and locktight bolts.
4. Made sure all surfaces are flat.
The leak happens when the engine is cold. It seems that the bolts loosen up or the gasket shrinks? Any ideas??

PS What is the correct oil pressure with a warm motor and 30 weight oil??

David G. Nittler

David,

Sounds like you have covered the common things. Some uncommon ones:
**Bolts too long and bottoming out?
**Crack or pinhole corrosion in the housing?

IIRC, the original Stude gaskets for the thermostat housing were quite thin, and the surfaces need to be really flat/smooth. I have also used some non-Stude gaskets on thermostat housings that were quite thick and leaked after a while. You may want to review the gaskets you are using and adjust depending on what you find. These are simple gaskets and not hard to make out of bulk gasket stock. I like to use a sealer on them - most of the time spray CopperCoat (lazy me&lt;G&gt but sometimes Permatex Aviation Form-a-Gasket. Others use a [u]thin</u> coating of RTV/silicone.

Paul
Winston-Salem, NC
Visit The NEW Studebaker Skytop Registry website at: www.studebakerskytop.com

[drnittler]

I used the bolts that were in it before I had these problems, and the housing is new, Aslo the gasket was from Studebaker International so I assume it is correct. It is not too thin however. I did use sealer. Any other ideas??? Thanks!!!

David G. Nittler

[buddymander]

But are they bottoming out like r1 suggested? Who knows if those are the original bolts. Is the housing warped?

[drnittler]

Not warped, but I'll see if it is bottoming out. Thansk

David G. Nittler

[studegary]

Is the thermostat correct and installed properly? It may be preventing the housing from seating correctly.

Gary L.
Wappinger, NY

SDC member since 1968
Studebaker enthusiast much longer