Jim,

Good citation! This is often also used on blueprinted motorcycle engines for case sealing. This was also in the repertoire for Ford flathead V8 engines when using thin copper gaskets for increasing effective compression. Used to do a careful circuit around all cylinder bores and then around the the water jacket ports. This was passed on to me by a then elder mechanic as he was doing a head job on a Cord 810. Personally, I found it very hard to get the Permatex Aviation Goop out from under the fingernails in time for the then upcoming Friday night festivities.

Frank Grunthaner

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Arnott <jrasite@EONI.COM>
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Sent: Sat, Aug 28, 2010 2:58 pm
Subject: Re: Engine Assembly Wizzdom

I suspect that Joann's would be a good place to
start.  Ohterwise, you can make your own (Bob would...):

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/category/how-to/page/8/

Bob Hoover, rest his soul, wrote of this years ago. 
If you have The Sermons, look up "The Silk Thread Trick."

Here's Bob's comment on a homebuilt forum: 
http://www.aviationkb.com/Uwe/Forum.aspx/homebuilt/3772/Engine-case-sealer
About 3/4s of the way down.

Short version: 

#3 Permatex ("Aviation")
Just color the mating surface with it.
Let sit for 5 minutes
place 00 silk thread in the Permatex 
Double strand. One inside the bolt holes, one outside.
Do not cross the strands.
Bolt case together.
Trim any extruded material.
Let sit 24 hours before adding fluids.

The thread crushes and becomes a gasket. (That's why
SILK. Synthetics don't crush.)

Jim