I have a friend with more money than God, but less common sense than a gerbil. He bought a 1968 SS 396 Camaro. He had an engine builder put together a 427 (454 block with 396 crank). It is a stout motor with gear drive. We have installed Baer disc brakes all around; tubular control arms and coil overs, and other trick stuff. After a few trophy runs he developed an oil leak because of a blown out (blue) oil pan gasket at the front of the block. The engine builder replaced the gasket and said not to worry. I and a couple of friends think that there is too much pressure in the crankcase, causing the seal to blow. The car has the PVC on one valve cover and a breather on the other one. We think that another breather should be put on the PVC side. Any opinions?

Dr. D, I would be inclined to first see if there is an aftermarket EPDM rubber coated metal oil pan gasket that would work. They are awesome. I use them on my high-performance 3.0L Ford Duratec Engine. I'm afraid you might upset the usefullness of the "PCV" valve and the manifold pressure by installing another breather.

Is EPDM a brand name or a product description? The gasket that blew was the one in front right under the crank. I think that it was urethane. I have not heard of that gasket containing metal?? Assuming that the engine builder was not drunk when he put the pan on, I can't imagine it blowing out without excess pressure in the crankcase. Please advise.

EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) is a relatively new type of synthetic rubber material that's used on brake hoses and many types of gaskets these days. It's very tough and impervious to most solvents and oils. The EPDM molecule is very dense and does not easily allow air and moisture to be absorbed through brake hoses. Gaskets made with EPDM are totally reusable and are vitually impossible to mess up. Ford has used this type of pan gasket for a number of years; a number of quality aftermarket part suppliers are starting to use them, as well. They are light years better than anything else I've seen. It's all a function of the application, however.

I did a Google search fot EPDM gaskets, and got a bunch of hits that were not automobile specific. Do you know of a brand name, or automotive distributor carrying gaskets made from this material? Also, please excuse my use of the term PVC, when I meant to use PCV.