Red stuff inside pan cover

[Lloyd]

What is the red stuff inside my pan covers and where do I get some? It looks to me to be some sort of sealer. Also, when I put my pans back on, do I glue the felt do-dad in? Or is there something else or nothing that needs to be done? Thanks guys for all your help and time.

[Robert Luland]

The felt is there to stop sound resonation. They usual come with the gasket kit but can be bought at your local dealer. Bob L

[Rooster]

The 'red stuff' is most likely the adhesive that was used to stick the felts to the inside of the pans.

[vph-d]

The 'red stuff' might be Gasoila which was [is?] used as a crankcase sealer. I have used 3M
weather strip adhesive to glue on the pads, but a more modern product probably would work as well.
VPH-D

[T. Cotten]

There is no doubt that it is NOT Gasoila.

Gasoila disintegrates in P4gas; the adhesive does not!

A true identification of the original compound would be very helpful, as I found it slopped and swabbed in the bottoms of my 1965 gastanks as well.
Weeks of tumbling with aquarium gravel and acetone didn't take it all out.
(Shouldn't have tried!)

It is probably some product (or by-product) that was generic in the past, but forgotten in the Post War flurry of industrial advances and the resulting consumer market explosion.

But it is ahelluvalot better than doomed modern "sealing systems", by far!

....Cotten

[JSB55]

Interesting. When I recently took apart my 65 motor, I found a small amount of "red stuff" in the cam compartment.

I and a motor-builder friend assumed it was RTV sealant, since so many people seem to like to use that instead of properly torquing covers on shovels, evos, and TCs. I've worked on bikes for friends and often found gobs of it under the primary cover.

Just a thought...

[T. Cotten]

Interesting. When I recently took apart my 65 motor, I found a small amount of "red stuff" in the cam compartment.

I and a motor-builder friend assumed it was RTV sealant, since so many people seem to like to use that instead of properly torquing covers on shovels, evos, and TCs. I've worked on bikes for friends and often found gobs of it under the primary cover.

Just a thought...

The MOCO sealed the cavities of motorcases, and occasionally porous areas in the camchest with a flat red paint-like dressing that historically has been declared "Gasoila". "Glyptal" has been the prefered replacement, although a leaky petcock on an OHV can pollute the oil and take either coating out.

It never resembled a goober.
And it is completely different from the felt adhesive.

The MOCO at one time suggested using their case-to-case sealer, 3M Industrial Sealer #800, for the felts, back when the goober had a -80 OEM number. (Its a helluvalot SAFER than ANY common sillycone product by far, and still available.)

We still do not know what the original swabbed-on felt adhesive was, but it looked exactly like this: (attached).

....Cotten

[Pops]

I used to use something similar way back when I was a kid, I think it was called Red Head Gasket Shellac . I hated the stuff, it was almost impossible to remove but hellfur sticky. I used to use it to reuse head gaskets, but you had to pry them off the next time ! Haven't seen the stuff in years. I bet that's what it was.
Pops

[Lyle Manheimer]

Pops,
That stuff was actually called Indian Head Gasket Shellac.
Yes it was a bear to get anything off after using it.
It was not made by Indian to the best of my knowledge.
The inside of Indian crankcases ( later ones ) often had been sealed
with what looked to be paint. Glyptal made by GE or Dolphs are both
electrical insulating paints and seem to work Ok for sealing those old
porous cases.

[Erdos]

Is this the stuff
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0008KLOG6

[T. Cotten]

It is not the modern Indian Head, that's for certain!

It is neither red, nor does it react the same in acetone:
The original compound "jellies"; The modern Permatex product dissolves.

....Cotten
PS: They may dampen noise minimally, but the purpose of the felts is to supply lube for start-up.