Well crap, I bought an Edelbrock Air Gap mainfold for my 304 and I cant get it to seal. I installed it with a Felpro metal gasket and sealed it with Permatex copper formagasket to no result. I put a vacuum guage on it and there is nothing, not even a bump as I turn over the engine. After reading the information, the Edelbrock site says this manifold has to use the factory intake gasket, not the Felpro one. Where can I get a factory gasket for a 1977 304? Is the factory gasket a fiber gasket opposed to a metal one?

I am a little worried that the engine I have was rebuilt and the heads were decked. The bolts were pretty tough getting them to screw in. I had to bump it down pretty hard to get it where the bolts would go in. Would this indicate I need to have the manifold decked as well to fit the heads or do I have the wrong manifold? Edelbrock suggests that deck heights may be different on older heads and matching up the manifold to them may be necessary along with drilling new holes in the manifold to allow the center bolts to be installed. I am at my wits end to just get this damn thing running. I shoulda stuck with the 2 barrel and left well enough alone.

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Having a bit of trouble there are ya? Normal decking to take out a small warp usually don't require the intake to be modified.
I wouldn't even think about using a metal gasket between the head and the intake.. What you need are the normal gaskets.
Hear this! Putting pooky on an intake gasket is simply looking for trouble.. Don't do it. Gaskets work fine as sold and need no extra help. If a gasket needs help the instructions will tell you just where to put the sticky stuff.
When putting an entire engine together I only use pooky on SOME rear main seals. Nowhere else!
I use pooky on pan and valve cover gaskets. I place a small amount on the cleaned surface of the pan and cover and then place the gasket in place with bolts in the holes and allow to setup...then I pull the bolts out of the holes and the gasket will stay in place while I install..
Most v type intakes seem to fit poorly at first blush. As the bolts are tightned the intake is pulled downward into place and the fit is corrected by this pulling.
Big Jim <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

BTDT...

Seems as you may need to do a little thread cleaning..

Basically, I would run a die through the threads to ensure they are clean.

When I put mine together, I used just enough to provide a "fill-in-the-micro-holes" and an easy release point for the next time the manifold had to come off.

Using a little bit (and a little bit goes a long ways) of silicone on gaskets helps when they need to be replaced.

Normally, if the metal edges are clean, applying the gasket will provide the necessary seal. However, if there is a potential for needing to replace the gasket, a little silicone provides a good removal base.

In your case, clean the bolt threads and tighten them in the recommended sequence. There are instructions on how to torque an intake manifold.

It took me two tries as I did not follow the recommended alternating pattern for torquing down the intake manifold the first time.

You should remember that 99.99999% of the silione used is squirted OUT of the sealing area. The question one should ask themselves before using silicone is where will it end up after it is squirted out of where it is placed? INSIDE the fuel passages or floating around in the oil pan just isn't what is wanted.
Intake gaskets are one place that sealant isn't needed..
Big Jim <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

Yeah a little trouble is the main theme in my resto of this now 4 year project. I get so mad I have to leave it be and sometimes that stretches into months. I just want to drive the damn thing, I am tired of looking at it in my carport.

I am assuming the factory gasket is some kind of fiber composition which I would see as needing no extra sealant. Mr Gasket makes a fiber gasket for the 304, would this be a good substitute? I am a little confused on the thread running. Why would this help? I put sealant on each bolt before installing and followed the proper sequence when tightening.

I dunno, its just like most tasks on this one, it fights me tooth and nail. Almost every part I install has to be tweaked and or modified to work. I am proud of the obstacles I have overcome and at some point I am ready for something to go in easy. I cant imagine the factory having to do so much custom work.

Thanks for the input guys, I guess I will snatch the manifold off this weekend and try again if I can find the right gaskets. Let me know what you think about the fiber gaskets. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/notooth.gif" alt="" />

Let me add a little info to your quetion.

I recently installed an Edelbrock Performer intake manifold on the AMC 360 engine in my CJ7. It sealed up the first time, with no fitment or leaking problems. The procedure called for me to remove the heat shield from under the original cast iron intake manifold and to rivet that heat shield to the bottom of the Edelbrock manifold, with the provided fasteners. I did that.

The ONLY gasket that I used was a FelPro metal valley pan gasket. I followed the instructions and used a very small amount of RTV (the copper hi-temp kind) around the head junctions. A small amount of black RTV was used at the forward and rear areas, IAW the instructions. After it was buttoned up, and the 4150 Holley Truck Avenger carburetor installed, I waited 2 days, and then started the engine. Performed oil leak and vacuum check -- no leaks. Engine pulls 19 in. of vacuum at idle.

Here is something you may not know. On the FelPro valley pan gaskets (and possibly on other brands), there is a pressed-in "ridge" around the intake ports. When the intake manifold is tightened down IAW instructions, those "ridges" act like a soft crush washer. That enhances the seal between the intake manifold and the heads.

For that reason, many mechanics do not like to re-use the metal valley pan gaskets, even on the same engine. If re-used, the amount of "crush" may not be the same, and that may facillate leaking.

Good luck.