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

Best way to remove paper gaskets on carburetor spacers.

Discussion in '308/328' started by LE06, Oct 12, 2025.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. LE06

    LE06 Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 26, 2022
    282
    Full Name:
    Lee
    #1 LE06, Oct 12, 2025
    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
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 26, 2022
    282
    Full Name:
    Lee
    #2 LE06, Oct 12, 2025
    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.

    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  3. Martin308GTB

    Martin308GTB F1 Rookie

    Jan 22, 2003
    4,322
    Black Forest Germany
    Full Name:
    Martin N.
    #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
     
    Innovativethinker, Steve Magnusson and LE06 like this.
  4. LE06

    LE06 Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 26, 2022
    282
    Full Name:
    Lee
    #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

    Jan 22, 2003
    4,322
    Black Forest Germany
    Full Name:
    Martin N.
    #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
     
    LE06 likes this.
  6. LE06

    LE06 Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 26, 2022
    282
    Full Name:
    Lee
    #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

    Jan 22, 2003
    4,322
    Black Forest Germany
    Full Name:
    Martin N.
    #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.

    Image Unavailable, Please Login



    Best from Germany
    Martin
     
    LE06 likes this.
  8. LE06

    LE06 Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 26, 2022
    282
    Full Name:
    Lee
    #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

    LE06 Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 26, 2022
    282
    Full Name:
    Lee
    #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.

    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
    Martin308GTB and ChevyDave like this.
  10. Martin308GTB

    Martin308GTB F1 Rookie

    Jan 22, 2003
    4,322
    Black Forest Germany
    Full Name:
    Martin N.
    #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
     
    2dinos, LE06, MFlanagan and 1 other person like this.
  11. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
    37,310
    Cowboy Capitol of the World
    Full Name:
    Brian Crall
    #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.
     
    bitsobrits and LE06 like this.
  12. Martin308GTB

    Martin308GTB F1 Rookie

    Jan 22, 2003
    4,322
    Black Forest Germany
    Full Name:
    Martin N.
    #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
     
    LE06 likes this.
  13. Martin308GTB

    Martin308GTB F1 Rookie

    Jan 22, 2003
    4,322
    Black Forest Germany
    Full Name:
    Martin N.
    #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
     
    LE06 likes this.
  14. Martin308GTB

    Martin308GTB F1 Rookie

    Jan 22, 2003
    4,322
    Black Forest Germany
    Full Name:
    Martin N.
    #14 Martin308GTB, Oct 17, 2025 at 2:46 AM
    LE06 likes this.
  15. ChevyDave

    ChevyDave Formula Junior

    Dec 21, 2019
    497
    Pacific Northwest, USA
    Full Name:
    Dave W
    #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
     
    LE06 likes this.
  16. Innovativethinker

    Innovativethinker F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Aug 8, 2009
    10,132
    So Cal
    Full Name:
    Mark Smith
    #16 Innovativethinker, Oct 18, 2025 at 1:28 AM
    I love this board for the shared knowledge
     
    LE06 likes this.
  17. Innovativethinker

    Innovativethinker F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Aug 8, 2009
    10,132
    So Cal
    Full Name:
    Mark Smith
    #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

    Jan 22, 2003
    4,322
    Black Forest Germany
    Full Name:
    Martin N.
    #18 Martin308GTB, Oct 18, 2025 at 2:46 AM
    The complete isolator / spacer ?

    Best
    Martin
     
  19. LE06

    LE06 Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 26, 2022
    282
    Full Name:
    Lee
    #19 LE06, Oct 18, 2025 at 10:26 AM
    Here is how I removed the paper. I was told this method by another guy, it worked very well. I soak the spacers in hot water with a couple drops of dawn for 24 hours. Then I took a razor and very very gently removed what I could of the paper. Use a shallow angel so you don't gouge the spacer. On some of them almost all the paper came off, a couple had more paper on them so I through them back in the water while I worked on the others. Then took those out and gently draped the paper off. The more paper you remove means less sanding. After that I used 2000 and 2500 grit paper. I put the paper on glass and gently sanded. I did not push down on the spacer. I checked them all they are flat and very smooth. Here is the finished spacers.
    Image Unavailable, Please Login

    To me it was well worth the trouble. If I ever have to remove the carbs agin I can just replace the gaskets, as long as the spacers are not cracked or warped.
    In the early 80’s I worked for a shop the specialized in Fiat/Lancia and Alfa’s then for a very short time for a Maserati dealer, before I decided to fly. If I were doing this for a client I would put new ones on. I remember how hard it was to please some people.
    But this my car, I know this will work great. I am not an expert by a long shot and I know some here have way more knowledge than me, like @Rifledriver for one, or @mk e but he is nuts he stuffs V12 into X1/9’s :D. So I like to hear what everyone thinks.
    Thanks guys for all the help!
    Lee
     

Share This Page