valve cover question

[jteckmann]

Hi all -

 

I've got an '86 2.5L. I ordered a replacement valve cover for it (w/o gasket), and when it arrived in the mail, I see that it already has a thin rubber seal built in along the edge. As far as I can tell, my original one did not have that. Is this supposed to take the place of the separate gasket? Or should I install it along with the rubber gasket I picked up at AutoZone? I'm just worried with that much stuff crammed under there, it won't be a good seal, or I'm likely to over-tighten it.

 

Also, is there a specific order for tightening the bolts? My old cover had a crack in the middle that I tried repairing with epoxy a few times. I'd install by tightening the end bolts first, then working my way to the middle - but it kept cracking in the same place. I'm sure that was mainly due to the weak repair job, but just wanted to make sure I was going in the right order. Definitely don't want to crack the new one - it was surprisingly difficult to track down.

 

Thanks