There is some controversary regarding the new rope seals that are currently sold. The original rope seals, and the aftermarket rope seals sold at least through the late 70s and maybe even through the middle 1980s, were all a graphite asbestos affair. Industry had been using this type of material as the packing for all kinds of industrial bearings and pumps, as well as decades of use by the auto industry, because the material worked at sealing and reducing leaks.
The new rope seals are a fiberglass graphite affair and thus lack the crush and sealing qualities of the asbestos based seals. There have been more then a few complaints regarding the new seals leaking after just a short time in use. So before you replace the seal, you will have to decide whether its a better call to scrounge around for a nos engine gasket set from back in the day to get an asbestos seal, and hope it is still flexible enough to use, or go with the new seals on the chance you may have to do the job over if the new seal fails.
Last edited by Dragsix; 10/12/2023 12:35 PM.
