Oil pump gasket for 48 DeSoto

[MarcDeSoto]

It's odd that no one seems to sell oil pump gaskets for my car unless you buy an expensive oil pump rebuild kit or the whole engine gasket kit.  Even AB doesn't sell them, at least on his website.  Water pump gaskets are everywhere, but no oil pump gaskets.  I guess I could use some gasket paper and make my own.  I took the oil pump off in order to prime it with oil.  I'm going to crank the engine over until I have oil pressure before starting it.  

[TodFitch]

I have made my own oil pump gaskets.

On my older style pump there is a clearance specification for the distance between the cover and the gears. I put the cover in place and measured the clearance with no gasket with feeler gauges then selected some paper that, slightly compressed, was close to the needed thickness. I found that a paper grocery bag worked for me.

[harmony]

From what I've read in other threads, what TodFitch said about the thickness of the gasket being important is quite true.  Others have had trouble with oil pressure because the gasket they used wasn't the thickness called for.

[harmony]

12 hours ago, TodFitch said:

I have made my own oil pump gaskets.

On my older style pump there is a clearance specification for the distance between the cover and the gears. I put the cover in place and measured the clearance with no gasket with feeler gauges then selected some paper that, slightly compressed, was close to the needed thickness. I found that a paper grocery bag worked for me.

Did you put the paper bag gasket in dry?  

[joecoozie]

Try here - www.olsonsgaskets.com

[kencombs]

I think Marc is talking about the mounting gasket, block to pump, not the cover gasket.  The cover  gasket thickness is critical, the other, not so much.  As a matter of fact, I'd reuse the old one if not torn and just add a very thin layer of silicone sealer  I put mine on with a gloved finger so it can be spread very very thin.  No ooze out is the goal.

[harmony]

I would say that I pretty much always make my own gaskets when possible.  I have a couple sheets of gasket material two different thicknesses, plus a sheet for high temps to use for exhaust gaskets.  A sharp punch set and a sharp exacto knife is all you need.  It's helpful to have a piece of flat stock rubber to cut it out on and that rubber will help keep the punch die nice and sharp too.  I even make my own body gasket for my Carter B&B carb.  That one is pretty finicky.   

[TodFitch]

7 hours ago, harmony said:

Did you put the paper bag gasket in dry?  

Yes.

 

But as noted by @kencombs Marc probably needs the oil pump to block gasket and I was writing about the cover gasket. And I too would probably just reuse the pump to block gasket if it didn’t look damaged.