Well, new problem......

[Docs52]

 :)Hello everybody,
Well as in previous topics you know I have been trying to get my '53 Kaiser Deluxe and I have been making some headway. But just as you think it is ok to go back in the water, a new problem arises. One of the first things I did when I received the car was to remove, inspect the thermostat and in the process taking off the water neck I broke a bolt off halfway in the head cover. I was able to get the bolt piece out, clean & repaint the water neck, replace the thermostat w/ spacer & gasket and w/ a new set of bolts installed it back on the motor. Until today I have not refilled the radiator, just covering all the bases, I tried to refill the radiator and the water neck started to leak. Great!!! SO I think it is the new gasket leaking, but, no it is leaking through the holes at the Tops of the bolt holes under the bolt heads! Well, what can I do now? I checked, did not see any cracks around the water neck and the bolts have no washers or lock nuts. So, what can I do to move forward?
Thanks,
Doc Wasson   

[joefrazer]

This is a fairly common problem. Make sure you are using shouldered bolts and not the style with threads running all the way up to the head. The shoulder acts as a seal preventing coolant from being forced up around the threads. You can use small flat washers under the heads of the bolts to help seal as well.

[boatingbill]

Make sure you have the correct gasket and not one that is close to being correct. Also look around the bolt holes in the head
and in the thermostat neck bolt holes for corrosion. Mine leaked too so I sanded the mating services with emery paper, sprayed
a new gasket with Prestone Gasket Sealer and bolted it together and waited an hour. Then I added coolant and no more leak. The
gasket sealer fills in minor corrosion pits. Down he road if you need to remove the water neck, a thin putty knife can be slid in
around the gasket to bread the glue seal. As Joe said I used washers on the bolts to increase pressure on the water neck more
evenly.

[rialto]

Another thing you might want to do is put permatex not silicone on the bolt's threads and on the upper part of the bolt  near and on the shoulder of the bolt.  Let it dry a few hours or better yet overnight before filling the coolant.