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In the “good old days” header
and collector flange gaskets were made of the best heat resistant materials know
to man. Laws banning the manufacture of products containing asbestos (while
better for the preservation of mother earth) have resulted in gasket problems.
The replacement material is a composition fiber that has a heat limit of
approximately 1,300 degrees, which exhaust gas temperatures often exceed. This
lack of heat tolerance causes the gasket to fail and creates exhaust system
leaks that plague performance enthusiasts. We can do everything possible to
reduce exhaust temperatures and retighten the header bolts as a matter of
routine, but up until now, a reliable replacement gasket material has not been
available. Replace those failure prone fiber gaskets with Rat Gaskets!!!! Rat
Gaskets are made from solid .062 (1/16 inch) thick premium dead soft copper and
Rats Collector Gaskets are made from solid .043 premium dead soft copper. Why
copper? First, it is softer than steel so it compresses to conform to the header
o-ring seals and flange seal rings. Secondly, copper expands and contracts to
maintain the critical tightness at the cylinder head and flange joints. Thirdly,
Rat Gaskets are also reusable and blowout proof. You can make them softer while
still maintaining the strength as the original copper. This is done by annealing
the Rat Gaskets. Annealing is done by placing the gasket in an oven that is
heated to 450 degrees for approximately 30 minutes. This process is done before
reusing your Rat Gaskets. These qualities add up to the most leak free, heat
resistant gasket that your money can buy. Once you run Rat Gaskets, you will not
settle for anything less!
- To see an
example of part click on part number in far left column, parts with pictures
are underlined.
- Custom
Gaskets are available, please fill out
this form
for an estimate.
- For
Installation instructions
click here (in .pdf format).
- * - notates
special order expect up to 10 days for delivery.
- Recommended
for new applications, if installing on pre-existing headers they need to be
removed and resurfaced before installation.
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