3rd redo of installing the super six manifolds....help with gaskets

gdizzle said

I did not put a gasket at the heat riser, just left the 3 hole metal piece. Started it up, no leak. However I did feel a tiny, thin, puff of exhaust coming directly out of the heat flapper stem. Crazy, nothing I can do about that I suppose. Maybe enough carbon will form and plug itself.

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It will not plug itself. There is almost certainly also an exhaust leak where the intake and exhaust manifolds meet (that 3-hole metal piece is the useless "gasket"). The Remflex gasket set includes an actual, real gasket for that location, and is well worth having. An underhood exhaust leak, even a small one, is worth fixing. Such leaks are dangerous and deadly; our cars are very porous as regards underhood fumes very easily getting into the passenger compartment.

You can buy a new exhaust manifold from a lot of different places under a lot of different brands. They are all made in China, but they are not all the same. Spending more does get you quality enough better to be worth getting. This one is the one to pick. Like all presently-available exhaust manifolds, it requires the '73-up type choke thermostat; a '72 or earlier choke will not fit. Best to use the applicable Electric choke kit corresponding to the carburetor you're using (№ 1231 for a pre-'74 1bbl carb, № 1234 for a '74-up 1bbl carb, № 1232 for a 2bbl).