I just got done rebuilding my first car engine recently. I have a knock off performer rpm intake, and I just read about blocking off the egr passages. I'm not worried about emissions. I used felpro gaskets. I don't know if they had the passages blocked off, but I think the old gaskets did. Should I take the intake off and block the passages. I painted it so I kind of dont want to.

 

Is this a "summer only" vehicle, or will it be used in cold weather?

 

it's going to be basically a summer only, I will take it off the road, before it gets too cold. I already ordered the fel pro 1204s, originally they were blocked off. thanks

 

For maximun power you want the intake runners as cool as possible. So you'd want to block off the heat raisers.

For winter driving with quick warm up and low emmisions you want some heat to get up under the intake plenum to help vapourise the fuel. Liquid fuel will not burn.

A good compromise is the block off one side and leave one side with a 3/8" hole drilled in the block off plate to allow a little heat up.

I find the aluminum manifolds get too hot in the summer with the heat raisers both open causing fuel perculation and hot soak problems in 80F+ temps.

 

So can gaskets with the crossovers blocked be used on intakes with the crossover in the middle? Not sure if that gasket alone would be too weak and possibly break down.

Reason I ask is because I want to use Fel-Pro 1205's for an older Performer intake I'm borrowing on my Trickflows.

 

No, the gasket itself will burn thru. Cut out a small square piece of thin sheet metal to cover the ex heat riser passage. Put the metal block off plate between the head and gasket.
You could make one from a old soup can lid. No go dig thru the kitchen garbage to get one or two......

 

What I used to plug those holes was a generous amount of Copper High temp silicone in the cross over holes in the head and then the Felpro intake gasket. I never had any problems.

 

Well what gasket would I be looking for if I just wanted to run one with the holes intact. I need something around the size of the 1205.

Putting a soup can lid just seems like a leak waiting to happen for some reason. This is coming from the person that used a ball hitch to try to remove a pilot bushing

I wish I would just bite the bullet and buy the Performer RPM Air-Gap but I know something will be wrong with my shortblock then its time to buy a new one (assembled!).