Best way to remove paper gaskets on carburetor spacers. | FerrariChat
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Best way to remove paper gaskets on carburetor spacers.

Discussion in '308/328' started by LE06, Oct 12, 2025 at 5:33 PM.

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  1. LE06

    LE06 Formula Junior
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    #1 LE06, Oct 12, 2025 at 5:33 PM
    The 47 year old paper gaskets are good and stuck to the spacers. The spacers are in good shape so I don't want to damage them removing the paper. I am thinking grinder? No just kidding. I have removed one but it was slow going. Does any good way of softening them up to make it a little less tedious?
     
  2. LE06

    LE06 Formula Junior
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    #2 LE06, Oct 12, 2025 at 5:57 PM
    Well just my luck. I just found who ever put my rebuild kits together put 7 gaskets in the kit. luckily I have 4 green superformance gaskets.

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  3. Martin308GTB

    Martin308GTB F1 Rookie

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    #3 Martin308GTB, Oct 13, 2025 at 12:13 AM
    The paper gaskets are not stuck to the isolators / spacers. They are glued on from new.
    Never tried to remove them.

    Best from Germany
    Martin
     
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  4. LE06

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    #4 LE06, Oct 13, 2025 at 9:24 AM
    Last edited: Oct 13, 2025 at 9:30 AM
    That is great. I have removed them from Fiats I did not know Ferrari glued them on, I don’t trust 47 year old paper. I’ll just order new spacers.
    Thanks
     
  5. Martin308GTB

    Martin308GTB F1 Rookie

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    #5 Martin308GTB, Oct 13, 2025 at 9:42 AM
    Why not actually grinding the paper off? I would glue coarse sandpaper on a thick flat glassplate to grind the isolators while maintaining evenness.

    Best
    Martin
     
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  6. LE06

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    #6 LE06, Oct 13, 2025 at 10:08 AM
    Yea good idea, restoring my old Indian that was one way to get the glaze off the clutch plates. It’s worth the try.
     
  7. Martin308GTB

    Martin308GTB F1 Rookie

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    #7 Martin308GTB, Oct 13, 2025 at 11:44 AM
    I even restored evenness of my DCNF's base flanges this way, which were distorted and the isolators / spacers cracked because some gorilla had tightened the nuts some time in the past. I had no choice other than buying four new isolators. I believe they are around $30.00/each or even more, nowadays.
    I recycled the old ones and made some protective covers for using, when the carbs are removed.

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    Best from Germany
    Martin
     
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  8. LE06

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    #8 LE06, Oct 13, 2025 at 12:17 PM
    They are not much, 50 each now, that is not bad. Even though they are in good shape I want the car perfect. I should have ordered them to start with.
     
  9. LE06

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    #9 LE06, Oct 14, 2025 at 12:07 PM
    Went back and forth on getting new ones. A lifetime ago my stepdad taught me to work on old bikes. He would say there are parts changers and mechanics. I have always tried to fix before replacement like I was taught. The glass and 2500 grit sand paper worked great. Smooth as a baby’s butt! It doesn’t look good in the picture but it turns out very nice.

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  10. Martin308GTB

    Martin308GTB F1 Rookie

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    #10 Martin308GTB, Oct 14, 2025 at 3:02 PM
    Well done. Maybe better, than new ones. If something is restorable, I restore it. I am tired of today's parts quality.

    Best from Germany
    Martin
     
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  11. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

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    #11 Rifledriver, Oct 16, 2025 at 2:14 PM
    From absorbing fuel and oil the spacers get soft and compressible. They are responsible for carb base plates being warped. They were never intended to be reused.
     
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  12. Martin308GTB

    Martin308GTB F1 Rookie

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    #12 Martin308GTB, Oct 16, 2025 at 3:42 PM
    You actually renew/ed the isolators each time you took the carbs off?
    I always thought they are glass reinforced phenolic resin.

    Best
    Martin
     
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  13. Martin308GTB

    Martin308GTB F1 Rookie

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    #13 Martin308GTB, Oct 17, 2025 at 2:09 AM
    Brian's post (rifledriver) made me highly curious. Is there actually anybody out there, who replaces the insulator spacers each time when the carburettors were off. I want to know, what exactly happens with them while in service. I will put an old one into fuel to see what happens after one year.
    A little bit of theory: The plastics development made huge evolution steps since Weber invented those phenolic isolators. Maybe one should look, whether there is something better today. I think of PEEK, or PEI. These are thermoplastics, but with service temperatures above 300°F, resistant against fuel and much better mechanical properties than phenolic resin. These modern thermoplastics even replace metal in some applications (almost the whole air induction tract on my modern Fiat is made of such stuff)

    Best from Germany
    Martin
     
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  14. Martin308GTB

    Martin308GTB F1 Rookie

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    #14 Martin308GTB, Oct 17, 2025 at 2:46 AM
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  15. ChevyDave

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    #15 ChevyDave, Oct 18, 2025 at 12:40 AM
    It would seem to be the kind of part easily reproduced by some of the more skilled and enterprising members here.....hint, hint. :D
    - Dave
     
  16. Innovativethinker

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    #16 Innovativethinker, Oct 18, 2025 at 1:28 AM
    I love this board for the shared knowledge
     
  17. Innovativethinker

    Innovativethinker F1 World Champ
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    #17 Innovativethinker, Oct 18, 2025 at 1:50 AM
    When I worked on my own cars and motorcycles I always replaced the gaskets due to the compression issue.

    of course I had to learn this the hard way…
     
  18. Martin308GTB

    Martin308GTB F1 Rookie

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    #18 Martin308GTB, Oct 18, 2025 at 2:46 AM
    The complete isolator / spacer ?

    Best
    Martin
     

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