which intake manifold gasket for 427 SO?

[steve meltzer]

Gotta leak from the intake manifold on my 427 SO. Is there an intake gasket that's best here? Any "pearls of wisdom" for the install? thanx steve

[NewYorkGuy]

Originally Posted by steve meltzer

Gotta leak from the intake manifold on my 427 SO. Is there an intake gasket that's best here? Any "pearls of wisdom" for the install? thanx steve

"pearls of wisdom" advice- take your car to Kirkham for a complete maintenance service.

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by NewYorkGuy

"pearls of wisdom" advice- take your car to Kirkham for a complete maintenance service.

Wouldn't that be like a 2000 mile round trip just to change an intake manifold gasket.

[ERA Chas]

FelPro 1247S-3. You can get them from Barry.
Thin film of Motorcraft gray between head and gasket and around water ports on both sides. Center the distributor carefully. Torque bolts from centers out-don't kill them. Piece of cake.
Don't take 'pearls of wisdom' from a guy that drives a Nissan Leaf.

[steve meltzer]

NY guy... here's a "pearl" for you: if you have no real constructive advice, which apparently you don't, save the band with. Most of us don't have an the extra $10-15K (with shipping) to do a job that involves a $10 gasket and a few hours of the labor love. Do they change your oil, too?

Chas...thanx for the advice I wanted.

steve

[Tedster]

I did mine a few weeks ago, followed Chas advice, worked like a charm.
I let mine sit overnight for at least 12 hours for curing purpose before adding water and lighting her up.

[Mongoose930]

100% agree with Chas - that is exactly what I did (after having leaks with two other alternatives) and it worked perfectly - no leaks. As an added bonus, the grey Motorcraft sealer actually matches the color of the aluminum intake manifold pretty well.

[steve meltzer]

Thanx again guys. Is the Motorcraft gray the same as the Permatex Ultra Gray? thanx agin. s

[ERA Chas]

Originally Posted by steve meltzer

Thanx again guys. Is the Motorcraft gray the same as the Permatex Ultra Gray? thanx agin. s

No Steve it's not. It's better for our application than the Perm.
Another tip for the ultra anal like me; I made a simple 'clamp' out of right angle stock from garage door track hangers. After adhering the gasket to the head using a couple of bolts to center them in place, clamp them with short bolts a few hours or overnight, as Tedster did. No gaskets squishing out of place when the intake comes down and full contact with the RTV.
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[Tedster]

Actually it's Motorcraft TA-31 , you can get it at any Ford dealership over the parts counter. Just make sure to check for the expiry date on the tube, most of those parts counter guys are unaware of the shelf life.

[601HP]

Here's another gasket option. I've used them for several years. When I've removed the intake there has been no evidence of leaking or gasket "walking".

Keith Craft uses and sells a COMETIC gasket that Keith must have spec'd to some degree. I'm holding an unused set of these gaskets as I type this. It is sealed in COMETIC packaging and shows this part # info.

FORD KC FE2 KEITH CRAFT
.060" KF INTAKE GASKET
IR797060KF

David

[ERA Chas]

Also a good piece David. Barry also spec'd the 1247S-3 with FelPro-he used to work there.
I see the KC part is .060 when I think the Fel is .047...

[ERA 778]

i had problems with the Cometic from KC. Wrinkled up and exposed ports. Lucky oil and water didn't mix! I used a NAPA gasket set that is metal re-inforced. Sorry I don't have the number.

The right angle metal idea above is a good one. I let my gaskets cure overnight before torquing down, too.

Hal

[mickmate]

I believe any steel core one is the way to go. The FelPro these guys recommend is the way to go. The sealant is for Ford diesel engines and works really well. The end gaskets I have done with either a good bead of the Motorcraft or a smear of it on the cork gaskets. Check how big the end gaps are before you decide which way to go. I let them and the intakes set up good in position before dropping the manifold on.

[blykins]

Gotta figure out which heads you have first before you can start picking gaskets out.

Low riser? Medium riser? High riser? Tunnel port?

[steve meltzer]

WOW! thanx for all of the info. I ordered the Fel Pro, but I can return it to Summit. The heads are Edelbrock medium rise and the intake is the dual plane Aluminum Edelbrock RPM, 7015.

Edelbrock recommends their intake gasket, also .060, #7224. I thought that they always recommended their own stuff, but for the single plane intake, they recommended the FelPro we've been discussing. Not sure which to use now. thanx. steve

[blykins]

I would never advise using cork end gaskets. Use the sealant.

Rocker studs get around 30 lbft of torque.

When you get the intake on, stab the distributor in to make sure the intake is centered before you bolt it down.

[steve meltzer]

thanx so much for your VERY prompt reply. s

[steve meltzer]

And one more thing...why can't you put the sealant on the head side of the gasket, place the gasket and then set the intake down (no sealant on the intake side) to press the gasket in place, and leave it to dry for 12-24 hours? (I'm in no hurry.) This avoids a trip to Home Depot to buy and cut the garage door rails.

Then you'd return later, put sealant on the intake side, "bead" the ends, and set the intake once and for all. (Assuming you'd check the distibutor first in ensure a good, centered, fit.)

thanx. s

[Barry_R]

Originally Posted by steve meltzer

And one more thing...why can't you put the sealant on the head side of the gasket, place the gasket and then set the intake down (no sealant on the intake side) to press the gasket in place, and leave it to dry for 12-24 hours? (I'm in no hurry.) This avoids a trip to Home Depot to buy and cut the garage door rails.

Then you'd return later, put sealant on the intake side, "bead" the ends, and set the intake once and for all. (Assuming you'd check the distibutor first in ensure a good, centered, fit.)

thanx. s

That's pretty much how I do it. I use the TA-31 in a super thin layer, place the gaskets, and use the intake as a holder/weight to let the silicone seal up. Silicone seals with air and humidity - thick layers will stay soft inside darn near forever...

The distributor is the locating dowel for my installations. It's about the toughest thing to relocate (we've done that too using sleeves to grab the seal when we've done evil things to deck heights and head locations...but its a real PITA)