Slant engines - 2 questions

First question - is there supposed to be spring or something on those heat risers in the intake manifold? When I got the Duster the parts were disassembled for the intake / exhaust so I didn't see anything on these stems poking out of the intake.

Second question - is there any issue blocking off this port at the back of the head? My slant 6 is a california car as an FYI. The pipe that was covering this I pulled off to do a valve adjustment, wondering if there's a simple way to block it off or if there's a problem doing so.

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