Wilsons Sandbox

hey all the tearing down part of the rebuild is goin pretty good, this is my first attempt at anything like this and i am without a shop manual but all seems good so far(waiting on clymer manual). except the paper base gasket didn't come completely off of the base of the engine, i am just wondering if there is any method used to remove this without scratching or damaging anything?? thanks glenski a14

Removing hard gaskets from aluminum surfaces can be a challenge even with a lot of experience! Several automotive chemical manufacturers (like Permatex) make spray-on gasket remover which works OK on a lot of applications. My personal favourite was a brush-on type made by Yamaha however I doubt that this is still available. If the spray-on type cannot be used without getting onto undesired areas, spray onto some sheet metal and then scrape onto the area. For mechanical removal a razor scraper works well but the blade will dig into the surface unless the angle is kept low. One trick is to back stroke the blade with the handle at about 20 degrees which will curl the edge of the blade. This curl will reduce the tendency of the edge to dig into the aluminum. Beware turning a used blade over on aluminum! Take your time and recognize that small nicks, while better avoided are seldom an issue on cylinder base surfaces. Since you will likely use a gasket sealer such as silicone or Permatex #3, small nicks will have no effect. Another option, especially for critical areas such as cylinder head surfaces, is to make scrapers from scrap plexi-glass or Lexan. The scrap can usually be obatained from a glass shop's trash can. Cut into handy shapes then put an edge by use of a file. These work well and are easily resharpened. HIH Norm --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Win a $20,000 Career Makeover at Yahoo! HotJobs [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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