Martin I said I couldn't recommend these for any engine. So let me offer a little more because it appears I may have been misunderstood or at least I think what goes into my thinking might need clarification. I belong to, participate in or observe several other forums similar to this but aligned with other vehicles, general auto repair, performance, off-road, restoration, etc. And I am friends with and am in contact with people in the auto business who will never participate on this or any other forum. This gasket has been around and has been discussed for about 15 years now and if you search you'll find the complaints are nearly all the same. To say its failure is limited to modern engines is incorrect but the modern-day use example does go to the heart of the problem as I see it and I'll explain that in a moment. This gasket has never been presented as an improvement over OEM gaskets and no vehicle makers use this as an OEM gasket as far as I know. With a failure rate this high I can't imagine even the Vega engineers would consider it. What it is and has been is nothing more than a quick and less expensive "fix" to a more expensive, more sinister and time consuming problem. The other thing I've come to believe is it works best on engines which are not used often and it may have a short life span if used frequently (routinely) or more severely. It may be a convenient answer for a vehicle which needs to be sold quickly without spending much money on it. Pig lipstick. The point of mentioning a modern day vehicle just points out when this gasket is subjected to frequent and routine use (what a modern day vehicle will get) there's plenty of documentation showing it doesn't hold up well in some cases and in some other cases it is almost guaranteed to fail.
But my guess is a lot of trucks like ours don't get used often. Check with some of the Stovebolt devotees of this gasket and let's see how often their engine is used. 15 years of daily use plus long trips? If you hear that, it will be a pleasant surprise to me, because I'm expecting people to say something like "oh, I drive it around town once a month or so and last year I drove 60 miles one day." And let's also find out how many people are using it. 20 or 200? Evan said he had success with an $8 tube of sealant for 15 years, posted an image of it and pointed out he takes long trips in the vehicle. Until I hear something like that from somebody I trust, I won't recommend this gasket any more than I'd recommend taking your family up in an airplane you built yourself from watching a YouTube video.
In the auto industry there have been products which do work and which do solve some problems...but about which full knowledge often must be learned through experience of the user. An example? Drive flat tires. They work and they cost 50 to 100% more than regular tires, but try to have one repaired after you've suffered a puncture and driven on it. Tire shops won't touch it and with good reason. Driving wrecks the structure...the structural integrity to be more precise and the tire is off to the recycle pile now. If it is repaired, belts may start separating, the tire may wear funny, drive unpredictably and some say it may fail catastrophically.
Alignment rings on the gasket? I don't know, but that's a good question. My first inclination might be to say yes, but with this design they're not going to work as originally designed, you know.
