Blocking the heat crossover, IN the head.

A cooler charge means denser air, which increases the oxygen available for combustion. Hence intercoolers on turbos and all the cool air intake devices like hood scoops. But that does not change the amount of fuel by itself. The 0 HP increase test results from the dyno may well have been without the engine heat soaked and definitely not under a hood in a hot engine compartment, and so any HP increase due to denser air would not have been seen; it would only have checked the effect on exhaust flow.

--Also that cooler denser charge needs to be compensated with an A/F ratio change, like when you add a sealed hood scoop and need to jet up

But all that of has little meaning for the amount of fuel in the air; the optimum temps for good fuel vaporization and suspension works against air charge density so you're always balancing. Hence the hard cold start by the poster from CO with the Airgap. My son and I selected a Performer intake over the Airgap exactly so that it would warm up and run better in cool temps, even without the crossover. And thus all the exhaust manifold intake air heaters for air that you have seen on cars.

Modern fuels do have lower vapor temperatures so the need for a heat riser has decreased somewhat. If you only do fair weather driving, then you ought to get by with no crossover heat in most locations. But, I personally would not mess around with it beyond a good block plate. Easy enough to pull out later if you change your mind.

Another point about the manifold heat, with my air-gap after driving around for 10 minutes or so (after it's warmed up enough to stay running, usually 3-5 minutes or less in anything above 35* or so) if I pull over and put my hand under the intake plenum it's pretty hot to the touch. This takes longer if I drive it on the highway due to the constant airflow outside and inside the intake. Also I've noticed that the intake plenum gets colder when the car is first started cold due to the vacuum in the intake (lower pressure = less heat). Again having that dual-snorkel air cleaner with the heat riser hooked up makes a big difference in how fast it warms up.

I think this winter I will buy a heat-gun to pre-warm the plenum when I go out in cold temps. I'm worried that I have already caused undue wear to my rings from liquid fuel pooling on the plenum floor from all those extra-cold starts and that's the real issue to be concerned about. I also put in a block heater when I built the engine but when I put in my shorty headers it blocked it so I couldn't hook up the wire.

Bad Sport were those gaskets that burned through made of steel? And what happened, was it like a small hole that developed or did it start leaking to the outside? Inquiring minds :D