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-   -   What's Your Trick For Removing Baked on Gaskets? (https://www.hdforums.com/forum/general-topics-tech-tips/1456309-whats-your-trick-for-removing-baked-on-gaskets.html)

brakeless 04-30-2024 02:29 PM

What's Your Trick For Removing Baked on Gaskets?
 
It's a royal pain. I'm replacing the Rocker Box Gaskets on wife's '93 FXDL and the bottom Rocker Box Gaskets have become one with the heads. Just curious what everyone uses. I'm not removing the heads so benching and using some rotary tool is out. Razor blade? Scraper? Heat Gun?

davekp 04-30-2024 02:40 PM

MEK
Methyl-ethyl-ketone

RANGER73 04-30-2024 02:51 PM

Goo-Gone
JB Blast (I think it's called)
Let it soak in. then scrape it with a gasket remover blade.

brakeless 04-30-2024 02:53 PM


Originally Posted by davekp (Post 21663737)
MEK
Methyl-ethyl-ketone

Reeeaaally, hummnn. I got some. I'll glove up and try it. Gonna use it on flashing the edge of a windshield I'm cutting down.

brakeless 04-30-2024 02:54 PM


Originally Posted by RANGER73 (Post 21663747)
Goo-Gone
JB Blast (I think it's called)
Let it soak in. then scrape it with a gasket remover blade.

Can't find it. Maybe PB Blaster?

RANGER73 05-01-2024 03:22 AM


Originally Posted by brakeless (Post 21663752)
Can't find it. Maybe PB Blaster?

Ya, that's it.

tdrglide 05-02-2024 10:46 PM

Careful with MEK. It will lift your paint. Melt your screw driver handles and just about anything plastic

brakeless 05-02-2024 11:17 PM


Originally Posted by tdrglide (Post 21666414)
Careful with MEK. It will lift your paint. Melt your screw driver handles and just about anything plastic

Yes it's bad stuff. Used to work with it in fiberglass molding. Bought it in 55 gallon drums. I use it to flash the cut edges on windshields. It used to come with a cancer warning but now it doesn’t I see? Specially gloves and respirators when using too.

Kenny94945 05-03-2024 06:12 AM

Tricks... well, use a plastic scraper, not metal.

brakeless 05-03-2024 10:39 AM

Well I tried everything suggested plus a few tricks of my own. Spent close to two hours working on the front cylinder alone! It had a James brand gasket set on it and the bottom Rocker Box gasket was so baked on at the front above the exhaust port I thought I'd never get it off. I ended up using a small rotary brass wire wheel on my Dremel. Pure desparation at that point. I think that gasket set had been on there over 20 years. The rear cylinder had what appeared to be maybe an HD gasket set on it and lifted right off since it was one piece metal. I pulled both because I wanted to install Rock Out Rocker Shaft Lockers. That part was a breeze but as usual cleaning all the fasteners and mating parts took a lot of time.


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