[6d7gto]

This is the seal that presses into the timing chain cover. What seal to use and where to buy it?

[steve25]

I have never had problems with any of the 3 different brands of them I have used provided the timing cover was installed with the two lower bolt sleeves to center the cover on the crank snout!

The snout must not have any nicks or scratches in the area where the lip of the seal rides.

The seal also needs to be installed nice and perpendicular to the cover and with some sealer around the OD of the steel lip in case the cover is even minority gouged from previous seal removal’s.

[lust4speed]

If the seal is bare metal or only has a rust preventative on it, then definitely use Ultra Gray or equivalent. I'd skip the sealer if the new seal has a black rubber coated O.D. The rubber coated seal is good to go as-is and will squeeze back out when a sealer like Ultra Gray is applied to it.

The stainless repair sleeve (FelPro 16-203) is a life saver. The hub usually has a worn groove from miles of the seal wearing into it. The sleeve eliminates the groove, makes the contact area slightly larger, and the stainless is much smoother which should make the wear on the new sleeve much less.

[steve25]

Thanks for that correction! It’s the balancer that the seal rides on not the crank nose.
This is therefore a reason to put some sealer on the crank side of the balancer bolt washer since oil can migrate up the ID of the balancer and out.

[mgarblik]

I think any of the seals commercially available are good overall. National, FelPro, Timkin, and others. You asked what was the best, however. I have found the one sold by Tin Indian Performance to be far superior to all of them by a wide margin. The only seal to hold up to our nitro engine. All the others had to be replaced every race. That seal is a superior product.

[Kenth]

I´m using the Fel Pro seal, no complaints.
Whatever seal used they all need some pre lubricant on lips before install to prevent early wear.

[77 TRASHCAN]

I sold National seals, years back. their stuff is some of the best. Sometimes they will put another brand of seal in their boxes. Demand for Pontiac dampener seals is pretty slow. Some of these companies work together, and will make a specific seal and distribute to other companies, to keep manufacturing costs down.
Sure has me wondering who makes the Tin Indian seals???

[lust4speed]

Here's a photo of the normal metal seal and the rubber coated seat FelPro has been including in their engine gasket kit. First time I used the rubber coated seal I applied my normal skim coat of Ultra Gray and tapped it in. Went in fine but before I could get up from the workbench the seal oozed back out of the cover. Once I learned to leave the OD alone on the rubber coated ones they have been great.

Good advice above to always lubricate the inner seal surface. A dry fire-up could destroy the seal before the oil worked its way in.

[67Fbird]

a dab of grease does wonders.....same with axle seals

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by 77 TRASHCAN

I sold National seals, years back. their stuff is some of the best. Sometimes they will put another brand of seal in their boxes. Demand for Pontiac dampener seals is pretty slow. Some of these companies work together, and will make a specific seal and distribute to other companies, to keep manufacturing costs down.
Sure has me wondering who makes the Tin Indian seals???

The Tin Indian seal is their own proprietary front seal. It actually has "Tin Indian Performance" molded into the rubber part of the seal which I think is Viton based only on the color. I was very surprised to see that . Obviously, someone makes it for them, but it is different from all the others out there I have seen. Not saying it's necessary, but a high quality part.

[77 TRASHCAN]

Lol, I’ve seen stock, unknown brand seals hold up for years s I n misaligned timing covers. None of these were my engine. I’m sure it would leak for me doing same. I’ll be looking for some Tin Injun seals, one of these days.

[1968GTO421]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

The Tin Indian seal is their own proprietary front seal. It actually has "Tin Indian Performance" molded into the rubber part of the seal which I think is Viton based only on the color. I was very surprised to see that . Obviously, someone makes it for them, but it is different from all the others out there I have seen. Not saying it's necessary, but a high quality part.

Got curious. Here is the seal as well as rear seals. Quoting Tin Indian here:
( http://tinindianperformance.com/Pontiac%20Seals.htm )

" Unlike other seals are seals made in the USA (not some foreign country) AND we have such confidence in our product, we will never try to sell you a revamped rear main rope seal. You won't EVER see us selling a rope seal, period! Our seals are clearly labeled with TIN INDIAN PERFORMANCE and both the RM300 and the RM325 seals. We are so confident in our seals that we put our company name right on them; not some other company name or no labeling at all. Our seals are color coded as well. The purple seal is our 3" Viton ® Pontiac rear main seal and our black seal is our 3.25" Viton ® Pontiac rear main seal. Our seals are made and designed by Pontiac Engine Builders and are the clear choice when you want the absolute best in oil control when rebuilding your Pontiac engine. We are consistently lookinf to improve and deliver the best quality possible in our gaskets and seals."

[todden8]

My car has FelPro also, and so far I have complaints.

[6d7gto]

Originally Posted by 1968GTO421

Got curious. Here is the seal as well as rear seals. Quoting Tin Indian here:
( http://tinindianperformance.com/Pontiac%20Seals.htm )

" Unlike other seals are seals made in the USA (not some foreign country) AND we have such confidence in our product, we will never try to sell you a revamped rear main rope seal. You won't EVER see us selling a rope seal, period! Our seals are clearly labeled with TIN INDIAN PERFORMANCE and both the RM300 and the RM325 seals. We are so confident in our seals that we put our company name right on them; not some other company name or no labeling at all. Our seals are color coded as well. The purple seal is our 3" Viton ® Pontiac rear main seal and our black seal is our 3.25" Viton ® Pontiac rear main seal. Our seals are made and designed by Pontiac Engine Builders and are the clear choice when you want the absolute best in oil control when rebuilding your Pontiac engine. We are consistently lookinf to improve and deliver the best quality possible in our gaskets and seals."

Thank you for their link. Just ordered 2 just in case.

[6d7gto]

Thanks to one and all for the great advise. Love this forum!