Yeah, you got lucky.
No two blocks have the exact same deck height. Unless someone machined them the same.
Same thing for the heads.
Same thing for the manifolds.
The upshot is on ALL of these parts is when they are machined they do NOT machine to a number.
They have a maximum deck height and a minimum deck height. The nominal height could be 9.560 or whatever is called out.
I can tell you for a fact I’ve had blocks that were fall taller than nominal.
When they machine this junk they machine them until they get a clean surface. They don’t machine on it any more, even if it’s over nominal.
Same thing with the cylinder heads and intake manifolds.
So claiming that you can drop any intake on an engine because the face of the head was machined is just wrong. That’s why I call it bullshit because I’ve been around long enough to know it is bullshit.
Here is a perfect example.
My block measured 9.6xx. I forget the exact number but it was over nominal.
Then it was machined until the deck of the piston is .048 out of the bore. I can’t remember but I think it took .090 to get it there.
Plus the heads were milled .050. You think a single intake manifold off the shelf will fit without work? It shouldn’t, but my tunnel ram fit perfectly. And it’s brand new.
Now, when I had the single 4 on this junker I had to machine .065 off the face of the intake to get it to fit on this exact same engine. Not a thing changed.
If I had milled the heads I would have fucked myself with the tunnel ram. I’d be stacking gaskets. Which doesn’t bother me but that’s why I don’t mill the piss out of the head.
Gaskets and intake manifolds are far cheaper than cylinder heads.
So saying machining the intake face is the correct way to do it is bullshit.
Guys who actually build this junk get it.