I'll apologize in advance, but I actually have an 88' Corvette and not a Camaro or Firebird, but they all have the TPI motor and you folks are plenty knowledgeable about these. I'm installing an Accel base on a rebuilt 355 with aluminum heads and a superram setup (mild street build, 219/225 cam, no emissions, ect.) I didn't realize this beforehand, but the 'vettes had an intake gasket with a steam hole drilled into a block off port at the rear of the manifolds, plus a port in the rear of the intake going into a T junction for the heater core. From what I understand, they did this to avoid potential hot spots at the rear of the engines with the stock aluminum 113 heads, not wanting to take any chances. I've heard some say to stick to the stock configuration, while others just run it open and delete the rear pipe to the heater core. I've also heard cylinders 7 and 8 are common gasket failure points on stock engines because of this.

I've also seen people run lines from the rear directly to the thermostat housing in more conventional SBC intakes to increase coolant flow from the rear and prevent hot spots. Would it be possible, and is it even advisable to repurpose the rear coolant outlet on the intake and pipe it directly to the thermostat? This car will live in a warmer climate (Florida) but it's a mild build that'll serve more as a street/daily than a track car. I also plan on getting a higher flowing water pump and dewitts radiator to help with the cooling.