As I try to fit the torque ball end gasket, I realized that what you get in a kit nowadays is very different than the original and not very easy to install... The new kits (Best Gasket 5151) have a solid cork seal (2279) that is oversized and does not fit as intended... You will have to spend some time sanding it (150 grit sandpaper) until you get to the proper thickness, so you can fit it between the two steel rings at the end of the torque balls... In contrast, the original gasket, was a series of thinner pieces that you stacked together inside between the metal rings, making for very easy installation... My question is, why was it not reproduced as the original design? which worked well and had to be a breeze to install...
I had the very same issue about 2 years ago when I rebuilt a '49 3100 speed. That is a somewhat different design. The gasket was so thick that it would not fit properly into the outer bell retainer which bolts to the transmission. I had to sand away about half the thickness so the stamped bell would fit.
I feel your pain, I spent over an hour on a simple job... Not only the thickness was off, but also the diameter which was very difficult to correct; to the point where I didn't do it enough and I was left with a very small crease, which I left on the upper portion of the tube...
Why not just get a length of square O ring material and make your own gaskets? Cut the material at a 45 degree angle and super glue the ends together for a custom fit. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Interesting suggestion, but I think I rather try to find thin cork gaskets and layer them as it was originally done... Or maybe an o-ring that size. Wonder if that would work?
