Would like to find a supplier of the intake/exhaust gasket for a 31 that is metal encased. Best Gaskets makes a fiber impregnated on metal core gasket but it doesn't really do the job.
have you had the manifolds checked for warpage? maybe a quick machining of the surface will give you good results with the available gasket..
Also, sometimes the non-metal jacketed gaskets can give a better seal when not over tightened; however, concur w/ Tim that trueing the mating surface is best.
All good advise. The exhaust and intake mate up well with the block and the fiber based gasket has worked well with this surface. My problem is where the exhaust mates to the intake, the passage to heat the intake manifold. The exhaust surface area has a flaw in that the full mating surface is narrowed for 3/4 of an inch, there's a small depression. To mill in down for a full surface area means I would have to mill the intake manifold where it meets the block to keep every thing in the same plane. The fiber type blew out at the flaw, I was hoping a metal encased gasket wouldn't fail but would fill the void under compression.
Try filling the depression with jb weld , then filing it before the gasket, might seal up.
Thanks, It's worth a try.