I am trying to swap a '71 390 4-barrel intake onto a '65 352 block. There is a little alignment pin on the block close to the distrubuter, and on the '65 intake there is a hole for it-- on the new intake there is not.

Can I remove the pin?
Can I modify the intake?
or do I have to find a different intake?

 

I have limited expeience, but I'll state what I've found anyway.

1/ My intake has a large blind slot machined underneath for the pin. I guess that allows for aligning the intake a bit, although the intake bolts seem to determine the alignment, so maybe the slot is to allow for tolerances. Anyway, it isn't a hole, so it's not for alignment. Probably just to keep the intake from sliding off as you're getting ready to install the bolts. So I doubt it's needed.

2/ I tried to remove one of those pins once. All I did was chew it up with vicegrips while trying to rotate it loose. Not sure if they're all tight like that one, but it appears a locking collet with a slide-hammer might be needed. Or you could carefully grind it down flat, but I can see filings getting in the engine, so that's best left for a bare block which can then be cleaned.

3/ You could try drilling an extra large diameter blind hole from underneath, but getting the hole in the correct location might be tricky, not to mention a drill bit has a point, so in order for the outer diameter of the hole to be deep enough, the center of the hole might go through the intake. Or you could mark the intake and have a machine shop mill a recess that's deep enough and large enough to ensure you don't have alignment problems. Not too large, or you might have sealing problems.

4/ If it were me, I'd try to remove the pin, even though it might not be easy. If I butcher the pin, then I'd tape off the valley area and start grinding.....very carefully so I didn't damage the block end rail around the pin. Another trick is to weld a nut to the pin so there's something to grab on to. The heat might help loosen it as well.

That's all I can think of this early in the AM.

 

Hey thanks!! I thought I was going nuts (ok ok nuttier).

 

If you want to grind it off all you would need to is wrap and tape any holey areas in the general vicinity really would just be a pain to tape and bag everything might as well smack your mom and say the ghosts told you too for the amount of work it will take. As for getting it out finding a cutter small enough could be tricky but you would want to find something similar to a valve spring seat cutter. Kind of like a hole drill bit for wood but for metal. You could try a square tip end mill but that would more than likely destroy the mill for what you are trying to accomplish.

Another option that might work but is more likely not too is a screw extractor. Now if the fitting is just bar plugged into the hole no big deal it just needs broken loose but it is probably a cold rolled flange pin meaning the bottom end of the pin is flared out making the diameter larger than the pin itself. Then the pin is driven home making it next to impassible to twist out.

The simplest way with out making a butt load of mess is to just use a small hand saw and some ruff emery cloth to smooth it down. A good handsaw will cut it almost flush. you would just have to smooth it up with less than a soda cap full of debris and it would be all in a small area you could pick up with a piece of paper in a strategic local.

 

The real easy way to remove the pin is to heat the area with a torch then use big vise grips and twist the pin and it will come out. It is a pressed in steel pin, not part of the casting.

 

Put some liquid wrench on it over night..grind a couple of flats on it and twist it out with Vise Grips !! Simple....

 

G R E A T! Drillbits are no problem I drill open bank vaults for a living :-) I'll let you know how it goes.

 

can you send me 800$ on you next job I need to ship a truck.