Originally Posted by fyrstormer

I have a couple vintage engines, and some of the parts are pretty much impossible to find anymore, such as the paper gaskets that seal the backplates to the crankcases. The original gaskets are about the thickness of a normal sheet of printer paper, much thinner than the rolls of gasket material sold at the auto parts store. Is there a particular type of paper that would be best for making replacement gaskets?

I know RTV is an option, but to be honest I suck at applying it. No matter how thin a bead I apply, the stuff squishes everywhere and it makes a horrible mess. I'd much rather stick with the original paper gasket design. I'm not aiming for peak performance with these old engines, I'm aiming for "look, they still work!" performance, so if the paper gasket doesn't form a perfect seal...meh.