[ODPILOT]

1/21/23
My '66 (200 Engine, 3 speed, autolite 1100 carb) has been running flawlessly for years. Just recently, starting running like SH*T. Very bad idle, stalling and rough running at low rpm. At high RPM, all was pretty good. So I figured maybe a vacuum leak.

I removed the carburetor and voila !! This is the spacer to intake manifold gasket - it is total disintegrated (top photo) - almost non existent. I know gaskets can wear out but I've never seen this before.

I had to use a razor blade to scrap off the remains, clean up the surface, and then laid a new gasket on the surface (bottom photo). Car runs like new again. Interestingly, this happened only to the gasket between the spacer and intake manifold and NOT the carb to spacer gasket. I wonder if this is from the ethanol in gas nowadays and if so, I wonder if any gas station sells gas without ethanol?

 

[Woodchuck]

The result of heat, over time, a/k/a "age".

 

[BirdOPrey]

In answer to your question about ethanol free fuel, I'm in FL and have routinely bought EF fuel for years. Most of the WaWa stores have it in my area but, depending on where you are (and that assumes you are in the US) there should be some available.

I doubt it had any thing to do with your gasket problem though. Probably, as Woodchuck says, just old age.

Art.

 

[GypsyR]

I've seen that before. There exists gasket grades known as "rebuilder grade". Many are/were little more than cardboard. Many years ago I knew a guy at a high volume engine rebuilding company. A buddy needed some head gaskets and the guy hooked us up with an entire engine rebuild gasket kit for less than what a single head gasket would have cost my buddy. We used the head gaskets and they worked fine but the rest of the gaskets were of obvious laughably low quality and we threw them away. They were that same white fiber looking stuff as what remains of that old gasket. The gray FelPro-looking one you have put on should last you just fine.

 

[Woodchuck]

There exists gasket grades known as "rebuilder grade"

In the scheme of things, those are one or two grades LOWER than old cereal boxes....

 

[ODPILOT]

I've seen that before. There exists gasket grades known as "rebuilder grade". Many are/were little more than cardboard. Many years ago I knew a guy at a high volume engine rebuilding company. A buddy needed some head gaskets and the guy hooked us up with an entire engine rebuild gasket kit for less than what a single head gasket would have cost my buddy. We used the head gaskets and they worked fine but the rest of the gaskets were of obvious laughably low quality and we threw them away. They were that same white fiber looking stuff as what remains of that old gasket. The gray FelPro-looking one you have put on should last you just fine.

Thanks for your reply. You know, that spacer to manifold gasket, if I remember correctly, was a tan color - like the color of carboard as you say, compared to the other gaskets that were in the gasket kit. Even though it's mostly gone, you can see that tan color in the remnants. It probably was just a cheap piece of %!!#%.

 

[MSMach1]

I believe that is referred to as " fretting wear". The old paper gaskets just don't seem to hold up forever.

 

[Airek]

Pulling my spacer off soon and I gotta remember to get a good quality seal there. Don't need that!

 

[66conv6]

I used a bit of Aviation Form-A-Gasket in there and still going strong over twenty years.

 

[PonyCarMan]

Ethanol Free fuel is often called "REC GAS", at least in Michigan.