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What material to make your own exhaust manifold gaskets?

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Old 02-20-2014, 06:49 PM
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So easy. You could certainly experiment with the $15 summit make-a-gasket then, without ******* wanting to kill yourself if it failed in a couple weeks.
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Old 02-20-2014, 06:53 PM
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Originally Posted by Leafy
So easy. You could certainly experiment with the $15 summit make-a-gasket then, without ******* wanting to kill yourself if it failed in a couple weeks.
Sure, but i'd rather not, because 1) there isn't much i hate more than working on cars and 2) this is my daily driver.

I mean, if it comes down to it, i'll take that route.

I'm interested in the copper idea, will do more research concerning those.

Sounds like i may need to call around and see how much water jetting a MLS would cost me.
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Old 02-20-2014, 10:08 PM
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Originally Posted by concealer404
I'm not super happy about paying say... $250 for a gasket. I'd be fine with... $100 for maybe... 3?
I want a custom stamped steel or copper gasket, and I want to pay less than $35 for it.

I mean this in the nicest way possible: You're an idiot.
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Old 02-20-2014, 10:29 PM
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I have no idea how much this sort of thing costs. That's the ballpark that it's worth to me. I'd do one for $100 if it would last 50k miles.

My only experience with custom mls gaskets is a group buy for headgaskets. Ended up being $180, only got 5, and that's a much more complicated gasket.

So Mr. Expert: how much should I plan on spending for a custom gasket for a $900 car?
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Old 02-20-2014, 10:30 PM
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I'm curious: why wouldn't an off the shelf one work in this situation?
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Old 02-20-2014, 10:31 PM
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It might if the fire ring isnt important to the weird steel honeycomb gasket it has stock. Is it?

Huge port job. Stock gasket will impede flow.
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Old 02-20-2014, 10:33 PM
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Can we not just have both surfaces machined and then not use a gasket at all?
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Old 02-20-2014, 10:39 PM
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Sure. No idea how long that will last, though. I've warped the turbo/manifold surface a couple times already.

Big cast iron manifold. Red glow. Much heat. Wow.

I'd really like a gasket. I suppose youre right. For 2 minutes work I can try a few things.
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Old 02-20-2014, 10:57 PM
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You should be able to make your own copper manifold. It might blow out real easily there.


This is the super ghettomobile... you could just weld the turbo directly to the manifold and make the weld the seal... I hope you realize I'm not at all serious.
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Old 02-20-2014, 11:25 PM
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That's not the gasket this thread is about. I already solved that.

Gasket between head and manifold is what this thread is about.
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Old 02-20-2014, 11:27 PM
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Weld the manifold to the head? :rotfl:

This is an easier gasket to deal with since you have the head as a massive heat sink to keep the gasket coolish. Cut your own copper might actually work.
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Old 02-20-2014, 11:39 PM
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Right. Seems copper is the method of choice for this particular one.

Any sense in trying the **** I linked in my first post? Rated to 2000 degrees.
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Old 02-20-2014, 11:48 PM
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Go with full soft or 1/4 hard copper, lay sheet on manifold and clamp it in a couple of places where there aren't holes or ports, tap on the gasket with a ball peen hammer right on the edge of the manifold. Just lots of little taps, nothing extreme. eventually it cuts through the gasket and the bolt holes and ports fall away. On the bolt holes use the rounded part of the ball peen hammer. Just hit right on the edge of the hole. No cutting, no trimming. After you have the ports done tap around the gasket on the OD of the flange. If you don't want to cut all the way through just tap enough to mark the gasket and go back and trim with scissors or snips.
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