Rear Main Seal

[PatO]

I've been chasing around an oil leak for several months on my 72' 340 Rallye Challenger.  I found some leaks around the intake manifold, fuel pump and oil pan. I go those cleaned up - but it didn't take long for it to re-appear. After a couple of hundred more miles on my fresh rebuild, I had to give in and admit I probably had a rear main oil leak.

I got the car up on my sets of jacks, got everything removed including the transmission, and it was apparent is was the rear main.

I ordered the superformance rear main seal from Mancini Racing. Their site showed the two half's with the separate ears or tabs.  I removed my oil pump and rear main cap today and puller the rear main seal, the one with the molded in ears.  The picture below shows the current set on the left and the new ones in the package on the right. The new set came with out the tabs. 

My question regards the ears or tabs on each side of the seal.  The bearing cap has the machined groove to accept these tabs. Without the tabs we have the grooves just sitting there hanging open??  Should i just look at filling these groves with something like the Right Stuff?  Or should I go back the the other seals with the molded in tabs or ears?  Any advice is appreciated.

[Chryco Psycho]

IMO you need to fill the grooves where the tabs sit so you could trim the tabs from the old seal & install them back in , I would use right stuff carefully to seal the tabs back onto the seal & thesurface where the cp meets the block , make sure you put the seal in with the lip facing towards the oil .

[PatO]

Thank you Chryco,   

You are always a great help.  I've searched around the internet a bit and see some references to just using the RightStuf to fill the void.  That seems like a big gob of sealant to fill a void ??  I also came across a good pic of the rear main seal in please with the separate tab or "wing" butting up against the seal. It seems to me I can cut that tab from my old seal, clean real well and use just a bit of the RightStuff to set it in and help seal the machined groove.   

Now if I can get it above freezing in my garage later this week !

[Chryco Psycho]

Why I moved south !!
I hate cold !!
Where is the shivering emoj ?

[Scooter]

Never seen a SB rear main with those ears, would prevent you from setting the seal in slightly offset as I've always see done.

Post up some photos as you go. My 360LA rear main is letting a "smidge" of oil getting past and I'm totally procrastinating even though the parts have been sitting on a shelf in the garage for months.

GL