Intake (heat shield) and metal gaskets?

Most guys who tune for performance and have any sense at all, tune their engines to run as cool as possible anyway, so if it was mine, I'd just take it off and find the nearest trash can. It's funny you never see shields on new aluminum intakes. I know, "they're aluminum, blah blah, blah". Hot oil still gets on the bottom of the intake. As you mentioned, I'd block off the exhaust crossover. But as hooha said, you're gonna have to make some tuning changes. They'll all be for the better anyway. Anything that introduces heat to the incoming air fuel charge does nothing beneficial for any kind of performance engine, whether it's mild, wild, or anything in between. I've heard it argued that those shields collect and hold hot oil against the bottom of the intake, instead of allowing it to just drain off. It's something to ponder on. I know what I'd do. I'd ponder that beeotch right into the trash can.