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Anyone who has suffered thru failures of the replacement-type composite manifold gaskets will want to take a shot at this.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-Manifold- ... sh=item3a8b83cdcb&vxp=mtr

We've never had any problems with replacement manifold gaskets on our 356s. What kind of problems have you heard of?
That said, I bought one of the sets on eBay.
Thanks for the tip.

West, be happy you've had no problems thus far, and perhaps it will stay that way; that said an exhaust manifold gasket on my friend's 41 LeBaron failed this past fall just after a full rebuild, and there are others. And it's not just an issue with the 356 but any of the straight eights of the en-bloc design, though that's not to say a failure will always happen. Some happily motor on for years.

The exhaust manifold, intake manifold and engine block all expand differently due to temperature variations of each, so there has to be some slippage against the gasket faces each time the engine gets hot and cools off. This why it's important not to over-tighten the manifold retainers. The metal-faced gaskets seem far better and coping with this.

Not sure if this is what you are talking about, but with my 40, every few thousand miles, the gasket would blow out of a small spot on the exhaust manifold. Over the years did this a few times with different gasket makers. Understand that on the 356's the outside arms of the manifold droop after years of heating and cooling. Finally got an exhaust manifold from David Moe (I think) that he had the flanges welded larger, in other words a larger lip for the gasket to seat on. Few hundred miles, so far so good.

This is the style I used on my car. They are perforated and metal faced. I bought them from either the PI San Diego or So Calif chapter.

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Attached is the OEM reproduction set from Max Max Merritt.

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