Ok, this is what I was trying to say.

Would milling the intake manifold. Would the head bolt holes on the intake manifold align after milling? It would seem like the bolt holes orientation on intake manifold would be the same after milling. Would head bolts holes on intake manifold need machine work also to realign with the milled heads and top of milled engine block?

 

I was reading this thread because I was trying to find an answer to a question I have about not torqueing the heads down until the intake is in place and the bolts set hand tight.

Has anyone done this to see if a sealing problem is solved.

ie.,
1. Install heads, hand tighten bolts.
2. Install intake, hand tighten bolts.
3. torque down heads
4. torque down intake.

 

You can't check the intake for fitment unless the heads are torqued.

 

On some engines that have had the block decked and or heads milled when you set the intake onto the engine the bolt holes in the will not line up properly with the intake bolt holes in the heads.
The holes in the intake should be slightly higher than or centered with the bolts holes in the heads but no to high that the bolts wont thread in easily or not thread in at all. In is case the intake would need to be milled.
Some aftermarket intakes bolt boss isn't as tall as the factory intakes making the factory length intake bolts to long. It will look like the intake is tightened down but in reality the bolts have bottomed out in the head. This can be fixed with flat washers or cutting 1/4" from the bolt making it shorter or purchasing shorter bolts, weather using shorter bolts or not I like adding a flat washer to prevent the bolt chewing into the aluminum intake, I use washers on factory aluminum intakes as well.

As for installing the intake, I trim the corners of the end seals at a 45* angle to get them to lay flat and not curve up where they mate to the head, use RTV only on the bottom to hold the end seals in place then install the intake straight down taking care not to slide it back and forth pushing the end seals out of position.
A hard lesson learned was to not use RTV on top of the end seals making them slick and causing them to spit out from under the intake when you tighten it down

Sit on top of a radiator with your feet on the frame rails bent over to remove and reinstall a 75 lb intake a few times because the end seal slipped out and you'll know what I mean by work lesson learned. Never measured it but always seamed that FE-FT engines in F-600-700's set about 6 inches lower than ones in pickups, real back killers.

 

Have also been told to recheck the torque every week for the first few weeks as this intake and gasket will settle and loosen some compared to an iron intake.

 

Aluminum or iron I have always rechecked intake and exhaust bolts after the engine has been brought up to temp and allowed to cool. On a fresh engine I run it for 20-30 minutes above 2000 rpm for cam break in then shut it down and let it cool, once cooled I recheck intake, exhaust, carb and on performance engines retorque head bolts one time and done.
A word of warning, Do not over tighten the bots on a FE aluminum intake, some of these intakes can have a good sized void between runners where the push rods come thru with a bolt extending thru the void to the head, over tightening bolts in this area can and will crack the intake.
I've personally seen this on both factory and aftermarket aluminum intakes for FE engines where someone thought a extra 10-15 lbs of torque would help seal the intake better.