I was thinking about buying a Edelbrock TPI intake off the boards here but the seller milled .030 off his block to get a 0 deck height.....
Which means that the intake base would have been milled too......(a small amount.......)
How much problem would I have using this intake on a block that hasn't been milled before........ We are only talking .030 !!!!!! Shouldn't be a problem should it??????
I'm thinking about ports and bolt holes....... as well as the match to the block.........
I hope someone can clear the air!!!! I don't wanna spend $ on something that would be useless to me!!!!!
Thanx guys
Chris

 

If the seller milled his heads 0.030 this does NOT mean he milled the intake manifold. The correct way to make sure the intake mates up to milled heads is to mill the intake face on the HEADS. The amount that will have to be milled off the intake face to match the head surface cut 0.030 will be much less than 0.030. The intake is probably untouched, unless the shop that did the work did a hack job and cut the intake instead.

 

He didn't mill the heads, he milled the deck height of the block 0.030" to make a zero deck block......
I would have thought that he would have to mill the intake base as well.
Do you think that the gasket should make up the difference?
I'm gonna write the seller back to see how much was milled off the intake, if any, to make a proper fit?
I'll post as soon as I know..... In the meantime any other ideas?

 

Again, even if you deck the block you can shave the intake face on the heads. Cutting the intake is never a good idea because then it is junk on any motor except the one it is matched to. If the intake instead was cut, it might leak on your engine, it might not. I would not take the chance if you find out the intake was cut. 0.030 decked is usually not enough that you would even have to cut the intake face on the heads or the manifold. Ask the seller, that's the only good answer you're going to get.

 

The seller said that the intake was milled .015 off each side........
Would that make much of a difference??? or do you think that the gaskets would make up the difference on such a small amout?
Believe me, I want a proper fit with no leaks like the next guy. And of course I don't wanna buy junk... I'll probably have to pass on this intake just the same......
Thanks for the help guys

 

I'd pass, too. If that is in fact what was done, way too much was removed from the intake.

 

I had an accel ported base that was milled so much that you could get a .060 or .080 (can't remember)feeler guage under the front of the intake/block rail area with no intake gasket. Definately not a tight fit. RTV is your best friend here, and doubling up the intake gaskets if no one makes a thicker than stock gasket. I used the fel-pro 1266 which is twice as thick as the 1206 and lots of RTV and still had a small coolant leak at the back of the intake on the passenger side. I don't think the intake was completely straight on the heads/block.

You can pass on the intake,

or

You can buy it and measure with a feeler guage the difference you need to make up in gasket/rtv and make it work.

 

That is going to leak without work. I would not want to risk blowing up my motor if I have an intake leak that I don't know about and one or more cylinders goes lean. RTV is not supposed to be used around intake ports because fuel dissolves it.