Aluminum Foil to make an exhaust gasket....

James912

James912

Member
Would using a sheet of aluminum foil to make an exhaust gasket work? Haven't tried but was woundering if it would or could work....
 
yeah, just a thought/idea that popped in my head randomly. I fixed my bike. The reason it would stop working after 15 minutes is the gas cap does not have a top vent, there are only air holes on the bottom of it, below the rubber seal. I drilled a hole in the top and she keeps running. Just get a waterbottle cap and hot glue it over the hole and drill a hole in the side of that if u want to ride in the rain.
 
James912 said:
Would using a sheet of aluminum foil to make an exhaust gasket work? Haven't tried but was woundering if it would or could work....
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Foil? No, way too flimsy but cutting one out of aluminum sheet would work well.
try making one out of a soda can just for laughs, would be easy to cut....
don't know if it would be thick enough to work. Let us know!

SBP sells aluminum exhaust gaskets.

SBP said:
Exhaust Gasket only $2.49
Aluminum exhaust gasket. Much heavier duty than the stock replacement gasket. Can be used with any exhaust system and is easily hand machined to match any exhaust set-up. Soft aluminum makes a great seal and matches the metallurgy of the engine. Supplied with all our expansion chambers.
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I have a couple of copper 0.1" thick MM exhaust gaskets left. Copper is the way to go
and they match the exhaust port.

yeah, just a thought/idea that popped in my head randomly.
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LOL
 
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Will do. I enjoy experimenting! I will definitely post the results and how soda pop can and aluminum sheet works too!. I saw the ones at SBP, but thought about making my own. Save money when u can with the economy as it is nowdays.
 
A disposable pie tin makes a purty good donor fer a head gasket BTW... s'long as it's not the ones w/alla lil holes in them ofc - might work out fer an exhaust gasket *shrug*

The biggest problem isn't so much the thickness of the material, but how rough & mismatched the surfaces are that yer trying to seal ;)
 
James912 said:
yeah, my surfaces are good and smooth. I'm experimenting with anything that may work.
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The broke cheapskate guys here usually talk about using cereal boxes as gaskets, lol
your idea is much better....

A brace on the exhaust to the frame really helps keep the gasket
from leaking and according to Bairdco Industries also lowers vibration.
 
BiMoPed said:
The broke cheapskate guys here usually talk about using cereal boxes as gaskets, lol
your idea is much better....
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True, but there's also the "last second desperation" factor as well as the "disorganized eccentric" variable lol

As in... I coulda sworn I hada roll of gasket material kickin' around ...someplace dangit o_O

Old school tip for intake gaskets? Thinnish leather from say the back of a work glove works sweet :D It's not as makeshift as it sounds as leather seals & gaskets weren't uncommon on pre1940's vehicles - best yet it's obv alcohol tolerant so it makes for great O ring seals on fuel tank petcocks if you've the patience and a sharp pair of scissors/punch set.

My ol' Rollfast has a leather intake manifold gasket as well as a "large" O ring replacement for it's glass filter bowl assembly as the supplied rubber one turned to goo within a month due to ethanol content;
NAPA part# 7-02350 for the filter BTW
 
I got a roll of heavy duty gasket material from an auto parts shop. Going on 3 years with the same roll - only cost me 5-7 bucks too. Holds up well enough, about 6-7 months if I keep it torqued right, less if I do it on the go with my mini leatherman and forget to torque when I get home. >_>
 
For an exhaust gasket I've been looking at the peel-off kind of coffee top. No longer needing a can opener the new lid is a thick kind of foil that you peel off, most likely you've already seen it. It's dead soft like the head gaskets and I think would work real well for an exhaust.
 
Good idea! Does anybody know what the width of the stock fuel line that comes with these chinese kits? I cut mine so it wasn't sagging, but the rubber had hardened and I couldn't get the line back on. I ended up cutting slits in the ends of the line and i managed to slip in over the nipple on the petcock, filter, and carb, and it holds, but I'd like to replace it with silicone or something else that would hold up better to gasoline.
 
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Quarter inch(1/4th inch) If you got the stock gray/green hose your lucky. Mine was brittle and you could snap it like a dry twig. I have a motorcycle shop a 1/4 mile away and I got a replacement hose for under $2. It's Blue Tygon I think it's called. Get a better filter while your at it. Remove the in-tank one, just run the inline. The one I got is a clear pancake looking one so you can see any sediment. If it's like mine there gets to be a fine rust colored layer on the bottom of the filter...
 
Yeah, i will definitely get a better filter. These stock filters, tubing sucks. When I saw it, i knew it was rubber and it would harden in a few days. So...yeah.
 
so far, aluminum is a bit too thin to work properly for a exhaust gasket. When I took my stock muffler off to put my sbp xchamber on, I tried to pull off the stock exhaust gasket, and it fell to pieces as soon as it came off the mount!!! I am so glad I'm putting a good aluminum gasket from sbp....Got my xchamber on. Its a bit louder than what i would like but it'll do. I live in the city, so at night when I'm riding it sounds loud. Cuz its echoing off the houses. The engine runs real nice and smooth at any speed now. :) Now im waiting for my billet intake from pirate, and a few thiings from amazon.
 
It's funny that someone is talking about this though, I was JUST thinking about this as an option for exhaust gaskets. Also, fuel line, NOT 1/4" it's 3/16" if you go with 1/4" you will have a good chance of leaks. Peace
-LS
 
I made one. Heavy duty aluminium foil, fold it over like 20 times, stick your exhaust against it to mark out your lines, get a sharp cutting tools, cut out the holes, get aluminum paint cover gasket with it, then slap it on. Worked great.
 
Oddzball said:
I made one. Heavy duty aluminium foil, fold it over like 20 times, stick your exhaust against it to mark out your lines, get a sharp cutting tools, cut out the holes, get aluminum paint cover gasket with it, then slap it on. Worked great.
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i also use aluminum foil folded over alot as a gasget make sure shiny side out on both sides, and dont make it prefect and flat, if you let it be thick with air it will seal better when you torque down the exhaust

i highly reccomend it even tho you have to replace it every time you remove it, still works pretty well
 
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