Engine sealing is a science that requires plenty of research and development; as much as we’d all like to be able to just squeeze a tube of RTV into every nook and cranny and go on our way, that’s just not adequate – especially in the area between the cylinder head and the engine block. Cometic Gasket is ahead of the curve with development of product for the all-new LT1 engine found in the new 2014 Corvette Stingray.

The company is offering a five-piece multi-layer steel head gasket in varying thicknesses, which offers a number of unique features designed to keep the oil, water, and combustion pressure in their respective places. “This gasket is part of our MLX Series. There’s a stopper layer internally – the inner shim layer has a rolled-over edge that concentrates the load around the bores to improve sealability around the bores and lends itself well to turbocharging and supercharging,” says Cometic’s Mark Chollett.

Cometic has a unique strategy when it comes to sealing – each gasket is designed specifically for the intended engine platform and may be unlike other gaskets in the same product line. Depending upon application, the gasket may contain varying numbers of layers, the sealing embossments that are pressed into the gasket’s surface may run face-to-face for one engine and butt up against one another for a different engine, and the layers of gasket will vary as well.

Each head gasket makes use of a Viton sealing surface to protect against leakage should there be any imperfections in the head or block surface, and the company can make custom gaskets as well; they make many custom gaskets for all different types of engines.

Chollett also showed us their lineup of multi-layer exhaust manifold/header gaskets, which are designed much the same way as the head gaskets – there are embossments that act as a spring to keep the tension on both the exhaust port surface and the surface of the manifold to prevent leaks. They have these gaskets for the LT1 application and dozens of others. Trick stuff afoot!