• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

Engine Gasket Kit

  • Thread starter Thread starter LoyalSons
  • Start date Start date
L

LoyalSons

Guest
Hey guys,

I have been looking for a complete engine gasket set for my '81 550. I have heard other members mention to not use the Athena gaskets because they were junk. I am a big OEM fan of gaskets, but after extensive searching I cannot find an OEM gasket kit. Has anyone used the gasket kit from Z1 enterprise? http://www.z1enterprises.com/ItemDe...on=Gasket+Set+GS550+Complete+Set&item=MAGK137 It looks good, but doesn't mention what brand the gaskets are. Just wondering if anyone has used them and quality of it.
 
You'll be better off to buy them individually as complete kits for the 550T don't exist (and I spent much time looking for them)
 
Z1 can get all the usual OEM parts if you call or email for a quote. The stuff on their site is in stock, ready to ship. OEM, they have to order in, then ship back out to you. Tell Z1 what rebuild you're doing and they can put together a package of what you need.

The gasket sets are included on a page of the parts diagrams called "optional", and not all the retailers show this page. It took me forever to discover that. That same page has some of the special lubes the service manuals mention, as well as paint. Funny, I only see black and maroon for the 550T. I thought they were all green. I just looked up the part number for the gasket set at Alpha Sports and found 11400-47843. A Google search on that turned up a page at Partzilla saying the part number was superceded by 11400-47844 (obsolete).

Some more searching on that part number might turn up something, but you have to make sure it's not a 3rd party replacement for OEM. eBay is bad for that. I got lucky and scored a NOS set for my 1000G, but they shipped it in a manila envelope. I had to straighten a non-critical part of the head gasket.
 
Last edited:
Best bet is to order all OEM gaskets individually.

Second best bet, if you're on a budget, is to order OEM base and head gaskets and then try your luck with aftermarket gaskets for the rest from Z1. They generally carry quality stuff and their customer service is top-notch, so I have no doubt they'd work with you if they sold you a gasket that leaked too soon.

EDIT: If the 550 has a tach drive in the valve cover instead of in the head, get an OEM gasket for the valve cover too.
 
The part number for the OEM complete gasket kit has been superceded several times to 11401-47830. Unfortunately, that's still listed as no longer available.

Hard to tell what kind of gaskets are in the Z1 kit -- they do give OEM part numbers for each piece, but at that price it's clearly not OEM. It's also not complete -- the intake o-rings and several other bits (mostly various bolt and plug seals) are not included.

It's honestly not worth taking the risk of needing to re-do the job or damaging your engine. Yes, the OEM head gasket is expensive, but everything else is fairly reasonably priced. The various o-rings and head and base gaskets are especially critical, and aftermarket parts are well-known to be inferior.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top