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FE Power Forums => FE Technical Forum => Topic started by: feadam on January 21, 2018, 12:27:57 PM

Title: Intake Gaskets
Post by: feadam on January 21, 2018, 12:27:57 PM

Have a bbm iron block, BBM aluminum heads, Blue thunder intake, when I put intake on with gaskets sitting in place, I can get a .035 feeler gauge between heads and intake on both sides. Question is is this normal? I tightened intake down and it closed gap that I can see, does intake and heads come together that much with torquing intake?

Title: Re: Intake Gaskets
Post by: blykins on January 21, 2018, 12:32:27 PM

Make sure the head gasket tabs are not holding the intake up. 

Title: Re: Intake Gaskets
Post by: feadam on January 21, 2018, 12:43:19 PM

Tabs are good ports line up and valve cover rails are good. Just seems like a lot of gap.

Title: Re: Intake Gaskets
Post by: jayb on January 21, 2018, 12:58:02 PM

I don't think you should have that much gap.  I'd be looking at that a little closer.  Is it tighter on the top than on the bottom?  Are both ends the same?  If that all looks consistent then I would say that there is definitely something holding the intake up.  How about the end rails, do you have the corks in there?  They will sometimes hold the intake up too...

Title: Re: Intake Gaskets
Post by: feadam on January 21, 2018, 01:02:51 PM

Corks are in, gap is the same at bottom and top. 

Title: Re: Intake Gaskets
Post by: blykins on January 21, 2018, 01:43:09 PM

Take the corks out and try it. 

Title: Re: Intake Gaskets
Post by: Falcon67 on January 22, 2018, 11:08:50 AM

Don't use cork - I save old gaskets and use those for test fitting, rather than new items.  I use only RTV on the china walls, does carefully no problems.  And no worries about end gaskets holding the intake proud. 

Title: Re: Intake Gaskets
Post by: feadam on January 22, 2018, 06:15:17 PM

Brent
Took them out and it closed gap a lot, should I just use RTV instead of the gaskets? The gap on the valve cover rail didn't change much but without the end gaskets the gap between heads and intake closed a bunch. 

Title: Re: Intake Gaskets
Post by: blykins on January 22, 2018, 06:53:18 PM

If you have any gap whatsoever (on the ends) without the cork, lay a bead of silicone on the ends. 

Some guys use TA-31, some guys use Right Stuff, I use Dow Corning 732.  Pick your poison....

Before you seal it up, take a look around, make sure the valve cover rails match and if you have a wait of checking port alignment, I'd check that too.

How much gap do you have on the sides now?

Title: Re: Intake Gaskets
Post by: feadam on January 22, 2018, 07:49:20 PM

maybe .005 before torque.

Title: Re: Intake Gaskets
Post by: blykins on January 22, 2018, 07:51:14 PM

Seal it up then. 

Make sure you glue the gaskets to the heads and also use sealant between the gaskets and the intake manifold.

Title: Re: Intake Gaskets
Post by: feadam on January 22, 2018, 07:52:59 PM

Thanks Brent

Title: Re: Intake Gaskets
Post by: wowens on January 28, 2018, 09:41:19 PM

Use no cork

Title: Re: Intake Gaskets
Post by: cjshaker on January 30, 2018, 07:37:29 AM

What am I missing here? Why would there be any gap between the intake and head? The intake should be sitting on the gaskets squarely, with no gap visible or measurable. If there's a gap, isn't something holding the intake up? Tightening the intake to close a gap should not be happening.

Title: Re: Intake Gaskets
Post by: blykins on January 30, 2018, 08:59:35 AM

He had cork end gaskets on and they were holding the intake off the heads.

Title: Re: Intake Gaskets
Post by: cjshaker on January 30, 2018, 11:27:11 AM

But he said he took them out and still had several thousandths gap. Still sounds like something is holding it up.