Intake Manifold Install Adivice
 

I have a 454 Mag (stock) that I am putting back together. Starting with the intake; I am installing a Edelbrock Perfomer Air Gap with Fel Pro Gaskets and stainless bolts. Reading through all of the intake threads I came up with the following and want to make sure I am not missing something. Thanks for any advice!!

1 Spray gaskets with permatex ultra copper to get them to stick and stay in place (follow instructions on can)
2 Put Ultra Black RTV on front and rear of manifolds (following directions on tube) and DO NOT use the rubber or cork pieces that come with the gasket set.
3 Install manifold torqueing the stainless bolts to 20 ft. lb. and use anti seize on the bolts to prevent the dissimilar metal issue.

Anything I am missing??

One more thing - the Edelbrock does not have the holes for the mechanical choke (which I think is fine as the carbs I am installing are electric choke) but the gaskets have the holes for heating up the mechanical spring choke. I assume there is no need for the metal inserts and I just install the gasket without them??

you should of had dart coat the inside of the water passages with hardcoat they do there heads and intakes for marine

I run in mainly fresh and this is a low budget build. I agree with coating the intakes and if I have a problem I will just have to pay the piper but it is not in the cards right now.

I would block the exhaust crossover off if you are not running a mechanical choke. Not sure of the height difference, if any, between the stock MAG intake and the Air Gap. If your circulating pump to thermostat housing hose is too short, the 525SC hose is the correct length..

Make the silicone end beads about 3/8 thick
smear it around the water passages also on both sides of the gasket and you dont have to use the coppercoat

use some liquid teflon sealer on the bolts, especially if they thread into a water jacket. shouldn't need anti-sieze, stuff makes more of a mess than anything else. also, a little rtv will hold the gaskets in place better than any spray.

Followed everything here except I used copper spray a gasket on the bolts instead of the silicone - think that will be on?

If your using the felpro ultra seal gagkets dont use any sealer on them they will seal themselves..but do use ultra seal black sealer on top and bottom of the water ports..when putting a bead across the front and bacl of the intake to seal it go from threaded bolt hole to threaded bolt hole so you done get any oil seepage..also dont use antiseize on the bolts,use the ultra black to seal the bolts or then may leak oil or water..ever see the center bolts on a intake manifold and theirs oil around the center bolts?? thats from not sealing the bolts...also i would torqut then to 25-30 lbs and go over the bolts several times and not just once..keep going over them until they are all torqued the same.

In think I did everything right following your comments except I put copper spray gasket adhesive on the bolts instead of Rtv
Silicone! Think I should pull the bolts and silicone them?