Bob Dillon; pre test your RTV Silicone 24 hours before using on your car. I have two tubes of Permatex Ultra Black that will not cure ( become solid ) just sits there like stinky toothpaste. LOL

man i really hope mine dosnt go ou\. but sincemy dad is hopefully moving back to this side of the state, if the intake does fail im not worried aboutthe cost to have it fixed since he is a mechanic. what are some signs to look for and thing to do to prevent the intake failer.

Biggest thing to watch for is the coolant level. If you see a drop in coolant and there are no external signs of coolant, drain the oil ASAP.

As far as prevention, your best bet would be to run a 180 stat. Even with that, though, I'm not convinced that it'* THAT much prevention. I don't know. I had the 180 stat for about 6 months and hated it. Car would never warm up, sluggish acceleration, poor fuel economy and developed some condensation in the oil filler neck. I went back to a 195 (actually a 192 from AutoZone) and all those issues vanished.

I check my upper intake area at least once every two weeks just to inspect for coolant. I rely way too much on my car for it to be broken down so I try to stay on top of things. This thread originated because of one of my random checks. Watch for coolant that'* pooled in the lower intake castings.

Not be rude, just to prove a point...but yours will fail, it'* just a matter of when.

The only signs I am aware of are using or leaking coolant. The only way to prevent it is not to drive it.

i know it gonna fail it could be at 65,000 miles or 90,000 or 130,000 its gonn afail and im prepaired for it when it happens. i dont want it to but its gonna.

Good. You realize it!

What I would do is replace it in the summer as preventative maintenance. That'* what I did. That way the coolant never had an opportunity to saturate those bearings!

I am unable to find a thread to the throttle body adapter for the aluminum upper described in this thread at Club GP, perhaps because I'm unfamiliar with the way that board works. Could someone please post a link?

I would certainly spend a few hundred bux for the aluminum upper and TB adapter rather than saw the engine with a hydrolock.

Yes, I'm with you. I really want to make an aluminum upper work too.

BTW, what are the specs on that 455 in your signature? I'm putting a 455 in my 79...

Vital: the 455 is in my '72 Grandville cpnvertible. It is a .030 over 455 with TRW forged pistons, zero deck clearnace, a Summit short cam, and Crane lifters, valves springs and aluminum roller rocker arms. Summit headers, and about 9.4:1 with 6X heads. Mallory Unitlite ignition with an MSD box. Turbo 400 with a shift kit.

It is surprisingly fast for a 4700-pound car.

Damn. LOL. Awesome. Got some money tied up in it! I'm just beginning the build up...planning stages. I'm not looking for a track runner, but something that will really thrust you back in the seat when you stab it.

Sorry, back on track now...back to those upper intakes...