what would be the symptoms of a intake gasket failure, why i ask is because i have replaced the, plugs, wires, cap, rotor and coil and it still acts like its missing on about 2 or 3 cylinders, and shakes like he**, btw the fel-pro 1442 header gasket i put on today leaks worse than my old one, im haveing a hell of a time getting this thing running right. could it be the duraspark dizzy thats causeing it to miss or the carb, i dunno what else to check.

 

Hold it at 4,000rpm for about 15 seconds. If it starts smoking oil out the tailpipes then you have an intake gasket leak.

The 1442 gasket fits no headers that I know of. They are made from awesome material but they are much bigger than the ports on the heads.

 

i thought the 1442's is what greg is running, i tihnk hes the one that mentioned them to me. but anyway ill go to the shop right now and check it out and post back in a bit, thanks

 

well i just got back from the shop, i held it at 4,000 "it was running so bad it could barely hold it" i look out the back and it was smoking more black than blue out of both exhaust pipes not just one, what do you think now Sean, does that sound like a intake gasket gone or what.

 

1442s bolted up, just beyond finger tight with the FPA headers. no issues. They are thinner than the ones FPA provided, but appear to be a good quality.

Now, if I could just get a valve cover seal that easy. I hate to goop it up, knowing Ill be in there all the time. ..

 

i wish i had better luck, it looks like tomorrow ill be busy putting a new intake gasket in mine, what do you guys reccomend for an intake gasket, im fed up with Mr. Gasket, they will never get my business again.

 

A lot of us run the 1247, but they sem to having issues. See ratsmokers previous thread. Apparently the Victor Nitroseal are the hot choice for the intake now.

 

fordman, black smoke is generally a sign of being too rich. That could also explain the poor running on a couple cylinders-fuel fouled. If you still have the old dizzy, you might try that to see if the Duraspark is acting up.
I would start with a fuel system check first. Float level? Dirty fuel? Blown power valve? I don't recall what carb you have, so just trying some ideas.

 

Greg has very high quality headers with a flat mounting surface. The 1442 would work great with them. Most cheaper headers have that ridge around the port which provides minimal sealing area. I have yet to figure out why they do this. I may take my headers to a machinist and have him surface them until the mating surface is completely flat like Greg's but my flanges are thinner and they may warp.

 

I agree. I don't know why cheaper headers leave that "lip" fro mthe plumbing protruding through the flange. It just makes it very hard to get a head/gasket/header match.
That's part of the reason I abandoned the Dynomax headaches. That and they didn't work with my steering gear.

I guess wit hteh FPA headers , I could probably use jsut about any gasket :-) Sometimes, it's worth the extra money. Even if I had a much more affordable budget FE build, I think I would splurge for quality headers.

 

well, i just got back from the shop, i tore the intake off, no sign of gasket failure, but it wasnt totally a waste takeing it off i found a washer sitting by one of the lifters, how it got there i dunno, must have fell in the when i put the intake back on before, so im glad i did take it off, but to find out that was not the problem now im stumped, im guessing it was that POS carb, holley 650, my street avenger 770 comes tomorrow, so im going to get a new intake gasket and put it togather.

i also found out that the dizzy gear on my duraspark is just about shot, it is worn very badly, dont ask how because i dont know, it was fine when i put it in there last monday now you could damn near shave with it, any ideas?

 

What gasket are you going to use fordman?

 

Header manufacturers stick the primarie tubes through the header flange then expand them to match the flange opening. Then they weld it on the head side of the flange so that the primary tubes don't crack on the out side of the flange. welding the tubes on the outer side of the flange would lead to stress cracks and failure.
High end header manufacturers take the time to weld inside the port (still on the head side) and machine the surface flat. If you tryto just machine a cheap set of headers you will machine through the weld. Then you will need to reweld deeper in the flange opening and remachine the flange.

 

im going with the fel-pro 1247.

 

Unless you have large port headers (2.08") they will leak. Just set them on your headers and you will see what I am talking about. The gasket extends past the raised sealing area of the headers.