5.9 Magnum “One Piece” Oil Pan Gasket
When using an LA timing cover, it is still possible to use the one piece oil pan gasket from the Magnum engines. Simply use the front ‘U ‘from the timing cover kit—you’ll need one to install the timing cover and water pump anyway–and cut away the corresponding U-shaped piece on the Magnum gasket. A little Rite Stuff^TM where the rubber gasket meets the new U, and VOILA! Leak free fit!

Scram Speed now sells a gasket kit specifically for this purpose, using the same gaskets we do.

No Goop!

Assuming someone hasn’t been grinding on your water pump/timing cover with something that drastically alters the sealing surface, we’ve found that the gasket kits from Fel-Pro can be installed without the use of the silicon that makes clean up such a messy and time consuming process. This is the method we have used on the shop car (and others) to good effect. No leaks yet.

Leaky Thermostat
Since time immemorial, small block Mopar enthusiasts have had trouble with leaky thermostat housings, no matter how much goop is used on the gasket. As many aftermarket intakes have the bolt holes going straight into the water jackets, we believe the leaks are coming from the bolt holes, rather than the gasket itself. On our cars, we use no silicon on the gasket and use teflon tape on the bolts.

Cordless Impact
While not a tip or trick in the conventional sense, these things are amazing time and elbow savers. With a delicate finger on the trigger, the “plastic gun” can replace a ratchet handle 80% of the time. We use a 3/8 Dewalt 14.4 volt model in our shop, and won’t wrench without it!