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Italy, Rome
1 Level
742 Review
67 Karma

Review on πŸ’― FEL-PRO SS 72861 Valve Stem Seal Set: Ultimate Solution for Superior Valve Performance by James Oconnor

Revainrating 2 out of 5

Half of the seals in the box were packaged incorrectly, wrong part

In over 30 years of using their products I have come to the conclusion that FelPro is the standard by which others are measured, usually 5 stars. Well they missed the mark, at least with the box of very common SS72861 (16 pack, SBC Chevy) valve seals I received. Halfway through the install, I found that exactly half of the gaskets, while looking correct, were a slightly different design, presumably for the smaller valve stem (5/16 vs. 11/32 on the SBC); and while they seemed to fit evenly in the valve guides, they were actually positioned about 0.10 to 0.13 inches higher than the proper gasket, making the spring retainer too close for full valve lift comfort. Careful examination revealed that 8 parts that fitted correctly had '72861' embossed on the sealing lip surface, while the incorrect ones did not. Printing from the "correct" field.

Pros
  • Replacement parts
Cons
  • Could have chosen a newer model