Once upon a time - - - - - - You'd buy rebuild kits for Weber carb's and you'd take for granted that they just worked well. Gaskets fit true and cleanly over all of the complex contours etc etc. I just did a carb cleaning exercise for my poor 78 308GTS which sat longer than I would have preferred. I replaced the carb gaskets with what's now available. No longer do they come in the clear poly bags with the orange "WEBER" print on them, and no longer is the fit something that I take for granted. Good news is the car runs so sweetly now / Terrible news is the carbs leak, and the smell of fuel sucks!! So here's the questions: 1. Can the old original Weber gaskets be found? 2. What's the magic gasket dressing goop that is suitable to seal the carb tops? 3. I found this stuff, PERMATEX P/N 85420. Any experiences with it? Many thanks!
2, Have you ever thought about making your own gaskets? You can buy a nice set of gasket punches online. Then, get an X-acto® knife, a package of blades for it, a cutting board and a straightedge and get after it. Maybe a change of material is needed. A rubber and cork blend is good for an application exposed to gas. Take one of your commercial gaskets and note where you might benefit from a little more material here and a little less there and a different shape in the other place. You might have to do it a second time or a fourth or a tenth until you get the quality you want, just keep going until you do. I had to make (or have made for me) several parts for my 330. Either the parts were totally unavailable or the quality was lacking. Ive had several parts made (pistons and studs, for example) that were not only of much better quality than OEM or that which was available, but also were quite a bit cheaper. I spent several Saturdays in a friends home machine shop making knobs and other parts for a 60s Ferrari cigar lighter. They turned out great. Having said all the above, have you tried Pierce Manifolds ((408) 842-6667)? Tom 07 F430 Coupé
I think all replacement parts come from the same well. I've considered making gaskets. I agree - if you gotta, then that's that. Rarely you can find a source for NOS stuff, and I think this stuff would age reasonably well. Also, I have made parts too for the 60's cars when this is the only option. Many thanks!
