So the mechanic that is doing my intake manifold gasket change told me that one of the intake bolts was broken inside the block...i went to check it out and it looks like its been like that for awhile maybe the previous owner broke it in there not sure...but my question will just a thick layer of gasket sealer stop it from leaking...im really worried that it wont any opinions would be great thanks..

 

IMO--
Get it fixed. Why gamble on a questionable seal that you may be fixing later?

 

thats what i said but im on my way to check it out cause its done and he said i can decide when i feel it run and make sure it dont leak on throttle or nothing.

 

first off the intake bolt broke off in the head, small block chevys intakes dont bolt anywhere in the engine block itself, buy a top end gasket set pull the head bring it to a machine shop and have it pulled and what i was getting at was you might as well pull the other side and replace the head gaskets on both sides, its a push rod motor it takes 15 mins to pull the head off once the intake is off

 

Instead of donating money to a shop you could:
* Remove the manifold
* Take a torch (preferably MAPP(hotter)) to the area around the broken bolt
* When it's gutenhot shoot it with wd-40 or something else that's cold and doesn't really burn well
* Torch it again
* Repeat
* Grab onto the bolt with a pipe wrech
* Remove bolt

The above has worked for me with several broken bolt issues.
The heating and rapid cooling effectively "break" the rust/corrosion seal.

 

So what ur saying is i should just torch it and spray something cold in it and grab the bolt....sorry i know this thread is old but now im in the process of trying to see how im going to get the bolt out now.

 

and im switching from carb to tpi but using the tpi heads...so the heads are completely off the car so are accessible now.

 

Just make sure if you try to do it yourself with a bolt extractor kit you don't break the extractor off in the broken bolt. You'll have a heck of time trying to drill that out then.

If you got the heads off the car this would be a great time to have them trued up at a machine shop anyways. Once heads are removed from a block it's always a good idea to take them in to have them checked to see if they need planed (to make them perfectly flat again). This allows for better sealing when you put it all back together. The machine shop should also be able to get that broken bolt out of there.

Also make sure you get new head bolts if you're still using the OEM ones. The OEM bolts are made to stretch as they are torque'd they shouldn't be reused, else they might actually break as you torque them down.

 

When you can, post a pic. If there is about 1/4 inch, after heating it up, that should be plenty to grip with a visegrip or pipewrench,etc.

You can soak it in PB blaster, WD-40, etc. either over night or for a few hours.

What I'm picturing in my head---
a piece of the broken bolt has left
a small " stud " in the head, exposing about 1/4 or even 1/16 inch.
Is there enough to jam-nut??

 

well im on a budget build thats the reason i didnt wanna send to shop....can i just drill it out?? like flip the head over and drill thru the bolt til it breaks??

 

it is 20 bucks for a good experienced machine shop to do a heli-coil in it and make it good as new. Do not try to do it yourself If you dont have the tools or if this is the first time you have done one. It takes some practice to do them right and I would not practice on a bolt in the head. If there is anything sticking out get on it with the torch and a good pair of vice grips because you are not gonna re-use the thing anyway so feel free to screw it up just not the hole it came out of. IMO, take it to the shop and pay the twenty bucks to get it done right the first time. If you dont know any good shops, stop by a local parts store and they can recommend you to someone decent.