Sometimes You Have No Choice

Make Your Own Gaskets

Its Easy if You Know How

By Rick Sieman

A gasket is a simple little device. Most gaskets are made from various grades of paper, and generally all of them are oil-proof. Breaking a gasket on Saturday night, and using the back cover of the local telephone directory to make a new one, might result in more problems than a whole tree full of monkeys.

Trace the outline of the part onto the gasket paper.

And if you're a vintage bike nut like I am, chances are very good that you cannot find the gasket you need no matter how far and wide you look. This is where necessity becomes a real mother of invention. Follow along as a gasket is fabricated for a cool old Maico.

To the unobserving, it is possible to make a new clutch cover gasket in jig time. No problems at all. But wait a minute! Let's analyze this a bit: The Maico we're working on here is a prime example of the care that must be taken.

The clutch release mechanism moves only one millimeter (.040). The back page of the telephone directory is about twice the thickness of the stock gasket. This will cut the throw of the Maico release mechanism in half. If you have clutch release problems now, a thicker gasket will make the situation grim indeed.

Tap the screws through lightly so they leave a mark on the paper.

So, the best bet would be to match the home-manufactured gasket thickness to the original equipment gasket thickness. If, for instance, a center case gasket is needed, a gasket too thick can cause the transmission shafts to float further than the factory tolerances and the flywheels will be pulled too far to one side, possibly resulting in side loads on the piston or connecting rod.

Of course, if the gasket is too thin, it is possible that the cases will not go together, and if they do, tolerances may be too small and the oil supply will be shut off, resulting in seizure.

Like we said, a gasket is a simple little device, providing it is understood that it serves more than its obvious function of sealing. With that understanding in mind, let's go through the conception, gestation and birth of a gasket made from the materials at hand.

Punch the screw holes using a leather punch, or the like.

If at all possible, measure the thickness of the original gasket with a micrometer, or a vernier caliper. Transfer this dimension from the instrument to your brain, and go searching for paper of the same thickness.

The first place to check would be the old Playboy magazines. Their covers are of good quality and are about .005-inch thick, whereas a typical motorcycle magazine cover weighs in at a thin .004-inch thick. Back covers of most telephone directories are .010 thick.

Once a thickness has been determined and the proper rear cover selected, lay the gasket surface of the case on top of the paper. Draw the outline of the case with a pencil. Before removing the case, place the appropriate screws through any screw holes and lightly tap with a hammer to leave an impression in the paper. Remove the case and cut the screw holes in the paper.

Trim away the excess inside paper after all else is done.

We use saddlers' leather punches, available from any good hardware store. They come in all convenient sizes, such as 1/4- inch, 5/16-inch, 3/8-inch and so forth, that correspond to 6, 8, and 10 millimeters respectively.

Place the paper on a soft surface, such as a two by four, center the punch and tap smartly with a hammer. Once the holes are cut, trim the outside of the gasket surface with a scissors. Glue the gasket to the case surface with a gasket adhesive. We prefer Casket-Cinch. Allow the adhesive to dry. Trim the inside of the gasket to match the inside of the case with a razor blade.

A gasket has been created.