928 at last

Hi All,
Just doing the bridge as part of the intake event......any advice on getting 20 year old internal thermostat gaskets out? This thing has set up like concrete and I don't want to damage the mating surfaces........ Had to use a dental pick to remove the outer thermostat gasket, and pry the thermostat out...I've never seen gaskets (even old ones) set up like this...there is NO flex, and they're in there solid (what's left of them anyway).
TIA,

Koenig-Specials 928

OMG!

I just removed mine and indeed it apeared just like metal. I used a screwdriver and a hammer to chip it out (out towards the centre (of the hole) to break it off, not the other way. It came out in 3 pieces. I then used a small wire brush, the size of a large toothbrush that Home Depot sells. Worked like a charm. If you clean and paint it with auto alum paint it looks fabulous too.

WICruiser

If by the internal gasket you mean the sealing surface behind the thermostat it is (or was) a rubber coated steel part that is pressed into the housing. I used a flat screw driver to catch the edge of the lip that stops it from going deeper and bent it toward the center of the opening. It collapsed and was easy to pull out after that.

928 at last

As usual, I'm going at this *** backwards......already cleaned it up (and looks good) ...guess the hammer is coming out.

928 at last

Ah Ha! I didn't realize the core was steel. Not much of a lip to mention though and the heavy duty needlenose pliers aren't doing the job.
OK, it's the hammer.....gently.
Thanks!

WICruiser

Hammer should not be required. It may take a bit of effort to catch the outside edge with a screw driver but you really only want to collapse the parts so it releases the press fit without damaging any of the surfaces to the parent part.

928 at last

No, I really meant gently....thank you for the input. Caught the edge and used the rubber dead blow really easy and it caved and came out. Looked like it was a steel ring with something that looked like BBQ grill carbon layered on. In any event , Done!
Moving right along now......