Intake Alignment Issues

[Standonit1972]

I am replacing the intake on my 440, and I am having issues getting the bolts to line up with the heads. It’s unknown whether the heads are milled. I can get several of them started but there are 2 or 3 that are misaligned. This is a new trick flow track heat intake.

 

[67mprfan]

What heads are you using? And did you have the checked out before installing

 

[Standonit1972]

What heads are you using? And did you have the checked out before installing

I am running ported 906 heads. They have been on this engine for years.

 

[PRH]

If they’re close, but being stubborn, and you’re using stock heads....... I’ve had good luck getting all the bolts on one side started, don’t have any in the other side.
Once you have all of the bolts on one side most of the way in, I use a pry bar inserted into the exhaust cross over relief of the head, and lever down on the side of the manifold with no bolts in, and thread the bolts in while holding pressure on the pry bar.

 

[Standonit1972]

If they’re close, but being stubborn, and you’re using stock heads....... I’ve had good luck getting all the bolts on one side started, don’t have any in the other side.
Once you have all of one side most of the way in, I use a pry bar inserted into the exhaust cross over relief of the head, and lever down on the side of the manifold with no bolts in, and thread them in while holding pressure on the pry bar.

They are being very stubborn. I will try your method and see if it helps.

 

[clementine]

Id check the runner line up if possible first. If the runners are slightly off Id go for runner alignment first then a slight wallering of intake holes second. Might have to waller a smidge on both sides. I feel that mating surfaces being parallel is important to sealing.
$0.02

 

[Standonit1972]

Id check the runner line up if possible first. If the runners are slightly off Id go for runner alignment first then a slight wallering of intake holes second. Might have to waller a smidge on both sides. I feel that mating surfaces being parallel is important to sealing.
$0.02

I will place it one the engine and check alignment. Thanks!

 

[Bewy]

Elongate the intake holes with a rat tail file.

 

[famous bob]

I will place it one the engine and check alignment. Thanks!

I ALWAYS GASKET MATCH THE HEADS AND INTAKE FIRST, THEN ELONGATE THE HOLES IF I HAVE TO, ALWAYS ON A CHEVY THO, NEVER HAD TO REWORK BOLT HOLES ON A MOPAR.

 

[Standonit1972]

Thank You All. I have never had a problem with an intakes holes not aligning so this is new territory for me.

 

[moparstud440]

My guess would be the heads have been milled or block decked. Unless they were milled a lot it should bolt up, just may take a new approach like PRH mentioned.

 

[jbc426]

I bought a new in the box Edelbrock 4bbl manifold to convert my RB over to MPFI. The manifold was significantly too wide. It wasn't really possible to see where the manifold ports were lining up on the head ports by looking down the intake flange.

I applied some grease to the head flange along with 4 small spots of Permatex to keep the intake gaskets in place and the gasket perfectly lined up with the intake ports. My heads are ported and the gaskets now stayed fixed to the heads in the correct alignment to the ports.

I smeared a thin film of Permatex onto the manifold flanges and torqued the intake onto the motor. I left it sit overnight.

The next day, I pulled the intake, and the gaskets remained stuck to the intake in the exact position of my head ports. This revealed that the manifold was sitting up too high on the heads. The bolt holes were perfectly centered at this point, but the manifold needed to have both faces cut to lower the manifold towards the China Rail.

My local machine shop was very familiar with this process, and stated that it's typically the head side that is cut so that the manifold won't fit only this motor. That is a non-issue in my case, so they cut my manifold in 2 steps. I refitted the intake using the same technique described above so as not to overcut the flanges.

They ended up having to cut .100" off both sides of the intake to center the ports properly. As a result of this, I had to use my die grinder and a small carbide burr bit to elongate all the intake holes, so the bolts would not hold the intake up too high or not line up as you are experiencing.

It only took a few minutes to carefully elongate the bolt holes for clearance and several checks to ensure I didn't need additional clearancing.

I then refit the intake back onto the motor with another intake gasket set in the same manner as mentioned above, pulled the intake and shipped it off to Wilson Manifolds for an Intermediate porting job. As fas as I know, that is the only way there is to accurately indicate the exact position of the head's ports onto an unported intake.

Once the intake comes back, I am confident that the port and bolt hole alignment will be as close as possible to optimal alignment on this specific engine. If I can remember, I'll update this post with the results.

 

[mygasser]

I bought a new in the box Edelbrock 4bbl manifold to convert my RB over to MPFI. The manifold was significantly too wide. It wasn't really possible to see where the manifold ports were lining up on the head ports by looking down the intake flange.

I applied some grease to the head flange along with 4 small spots of Permatex to keep the intake gaskets in place and the gasket perfectly lined up with the intake ports. My heads are ported and the gaskets now stayed fixed to the heads in the correct alignment to the ports.

I smeared a thin film of Permatex onto the manifold flanges and torqued the intake onto the motor. I left it sit overnight.

The next day, I pulled the intake, and the gaskets remained stuck to the intake in the exact position of my head ports. This revealed that the manifold was sitting up too high on the heads. The bolt holes were perfectly centered at this point, but the manifold needed to have both faces cut to lower the manifold towards the China Rail.

My local machine shop was very familiar with this process, and stated that it's typically the head side that is cut so that the manifold won't fit only this motor. That is a non-issue in my case, so they cut my manifold in 2 steps. I refitted the intake using the same technique described above so as not to overcut the flanges.

They ended up having to cut .100" off both sides of the intake to center the ports properly. As a result of this, I had to use my die grinder and a small carbide burr bit to elongate all the intake holes, so the bolts would not hold the intake up too high or not line up as you are experiencing.

It only took a few minutes to carefully elongate the bolt holes for clearance and several checks to ensure I didn't need additional clearancing.

I then refit the intake back onto the motor with another intake gasket set in the same manner as mentioned above, pulled the intake and shipped it off to Wilson Manifolds for an Intermediate porting job. As fas as I know, that is the only way there is to accurately indicate the exact position of the head's ports onto an unported intake.

Once the intake comes back, I am confident that the port and bolt hole alignment will be as close as possible to optimal alignment on this specific engine. If I can remember, I'll update this post with the results.

i've drilled 1/8" holes through the intake flange, gasket and just into the head face before (with the intake torqued down). then you can disassemble and use the blunt end of the drill as a dowel to locate the gaskets on the intake and heads for any porting work to be marked out. when you reassemble in the future the drills can act as dowels to perfectly align the intake to the heads.
neil.

 

[famous bob]

I bought a new in the box Edelbrock 4bbl manifold to convert my RB over to MPFI. The manifold was significantly too wide. It wasn't really possible to see where the manifold ports were lining up on the head ports by looking down the intake flange.

I applied some grease to the head flange along with 4 small spots of Permatex to keep the intake gaskets in place and the gasket perfectly lined up with the intake ports. My heads are ported and the gaskets now stayed fixed to the heads in the correct alignment to the ports.

I smeared a thin film of Permatex onto the manifold flanges and torqued the intake onto the motor. I left it sit overnight.

The next day, I pulled the intake, and the gaskets remained stuck to the intake in the exact position of my head ports. This revealed that the manifold was sitting up too high on the heads. The bolt holes were perfectly centered at this point, but the manifold needed to have both faces cut to lower the manifold towards the China Rail.

My local machine shop was very familiar with this process, and stated that it's typically the head side that is cut so that the manifold won't fit only this motor. That is a non-issue in my case, so they cut my manifold in 2 steps. I refitted the intake using the same technique described above so as not to overcut the flanges.

They ended up having to cut .100" off both sides of the intake to center the ports properly. As a result of this, I had to use my die grinder and a small carbide burr bit to elongate all the intake holes, so the bolts would not hold the intake up too high or not line up as you are experiencing.

It only took a few minutes to carefully elongate the bolt holes for clearance and several checks to ensure I didn't need additional clearancing.

I then refit the intake back onto the motor with another intake gasket set in the same manner as mentioned above, pulled the intake and shipped it off to Wilson Manifolds for an Intermediate porting job. As fas as I know, that is the only way there is to accurately indicate the exact position of the head's ports onto an unported intake.

Once the intake comes back, I am confident that the port and bolt hole alignment will be as close as possible to optimal alignment on this specific engine. If I can remember, I'll update this post with the results.

not the only wqa

i've drilled 1/8" holes through the intake flange, gasket and just into the head face before (with the intake torqued down). then you can disassemble and use the blunt end of the drill as a dowel to locate the gaskets on the intake and heads for any porting work to be marked out. when you reassemble in the future the drills can act as dowels to perfectly align the intake to the heads.
neil.

I have always used 7/16'' bolts to really fill the holes up to where the gasket cant move , to check or mark the intake , or used tape to make intake bolts the same size as the gasket holes to check the head for alignment , no drilling or glueing and works very well if u do it right , costs nothing to check that way.