Well that depends. I personally like the Fel-pro printoseal which has a bead of silicone around all the ports and water jacket holes. With that you don't need to put silicone around the water jacket holes but you still need silicone for the front and back of the block. The fel-pro printoseals are about $25 and the silicone is probably $3. If you go with a stock gasket they are probably $10 to $15. To me it is worth the extra money.

 

As a side note, this is one of the many reasons why you should have some newspaper or plastic bags or something shoved in the plenum when it's open, so crap doesn't get down it. I usually put crumpled up plastic bags in there.

 

+1, this is precisely why I always place a large shop rag over the plenum and if I'm going to have my carb off for an extended length of time I'll use some of that wide painters tape to seal it off. We refer to it as Foreign Material Exclusion Devices here at work! Hey...it works, hell of a lot easier to prevent it than it is to fix it!

 

yah. someone told me the same story years ago. I never left it open since. But I must say the shop vac with the rubber hose attached is very good idea

 

Great idea with the vac.
If you are using too strong of a magnet put a little tape around it, leaving the end exposed, and test it with the same type of nut. This could reduce it sticking to the block.

 

Good idea.. You could get the magnet into the holes of the cylinder too by removing the spark plug. If the magnet is small enough..

 

wow that fuel line is a great idea, same with te magnets. ill try these later, im headin out to the beach today and wont be back till late so ill let you all knowhow it goes tomarrow.

 

I had a idiot friend drop the wig nut off the air cleaner down the carb and drove the car like that.He wasn't happy when i told him he bent a valve messed up the piston and messed up the head from that wing nut.

 

I just tape it off

http://www.midnightdsigns.com/Mustan...lday%20004.jpg

 

everyone makes mistakes, next time i will and i had before. at this particular moment i was putting the carb back on and wasnt expecting anything to fall in.