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1970 Chevelle Malibu "400" Clone

I think aluminum painted orange is cool, its looks sleeper sweet, raw cast aluminum does look sweet though.

It's when they paint cast iron an aluminum color that it looks like $hit.
 
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76zimmer said:
do you match based on lining up the mounting bolts with the gasket, then head, then manifold, or is there another more precision way?
Click to expand...

What I like to do is buy a "blank" or "cut to fit" gasket. It might be ~$20.

Then you bolt the intake on the engine with a thin layer of RTV on the intake port side only around the ports.

Let it dry, I usually do this at the end of the day so its ready the next morning.

Then the next day you remove the intake and you have an exact imprint of the head ports on the intake.

I usually take a mechanical pencil and trace the imprint so when you start porting you don't loose the imprint.

Then you can port match it exact. When it looks right then I go by feel, you can feel how smooth it is by running your finger in the ports. I don't want any bumps if possible, just smooth curves.

I have been planning on making a video on that for years, I will do it this summer and post it.

The gasket match works, but many times the height will be a little off when you bolt the intake on because it depends on the block deck height, cylinder head deck height, port height, etc. When I use my method everything is as perfect as I can get it and it's faster for me.

Sometimes I have used cardboard before when I didn't have a blank gasket. I just made one out of that or just blank gasket material of the same thickness.

When done I discard it, the time it saves and the exactness you get is worth the money, especially if you are porting for a customer, but I used that method on my own stuff for almost 2 decades now. It's just something I started doing when I was trying to think of a way to get more accurate results, it worked, so I stick with it.

On my own stuff I just leave the carbide burr finish. But many customers like the 60 or 80 grit finish. It looks more professional, but I don't think it adds any power.
 
I want it to look as stock as possible. I know it won't fool anyone, nor will it be quick enough to make any difference. I am having trouble connecting a stock pump to my ultra holley hp because of connection size and finding a enclosed air cleaner that will hide it. I wish you could get one in the proper di-chromate but Holley is smarter than me.

Mine should be close on the intake match but in this case I would assume it hardly matters. I finished it with the 60 grit to help smooth the undulations I had problems removing with the damaged/poor sized alum burr I had to uses. I really need to buy some new burrs.
 
And on the port matching, I will say I used my finger more than my eyes to assure the curves into the head where smooth arcs and made sure they pointed the air straight into the port. I did way deeper than the old 1" into the port that is often quoted.
 
Yes, I usually port match deeper than 1" too. Its not smooth at 1" most of the time.
 
Are you doing one of those tiny air cleaner power robbing tests? ;)

I've never seen square tube exhaust manifolds either.

Interesting test stand.
 
No testing, that is just what is on his run carb. It was just what he had on hand and since the power isn't important, that what it has. It is pretty cute though.

Here there are thousands of 454 and 8.1 irrigation engines with square tube manifolds. Again I am sure they were off a power unit and he has just been using them. They are actually pretty light and far from the plug wires. Worst problem is on a power unit they exit up. Then the rain caps fail and those manifolds help to rust port the exhaust on a bunch of those motors.
 
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