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Alum Heads & Alum Intake - valley pan question.

Posted By: WyleECoyote

Alum Heads & Alum Intake - valley pan question. - 01/23/15 10:23 PM

I'm helping a young (21 yr old) enthusiast new to the hobby with some engine issues.

He added Edelbrock aluminum heads to a 440 and now he wants to put on a Weiand aluminum manifold.

I've never messed with aluminum heads, so I'm unsure about the gasket situation.

Does he use just the valley pan gasket and brush on the tacky sealant stuff around the pan gasket (and rtv at the corners) like I do my steel heads and aluminum manifolds or is this the time to use the additional gaskets that come in the set?

Posted By: AndyF

Re: Alum Heads & Alum Intake - valley pan question. - 01/23/15 10:54 PM

Depends how much space there is which in turn depends on if the heads/block/intake have been milled or not.

You have to mock it up to see and then go from there. I always mill the intake side of my cylinder heads so I can use a double paper gasket but most people don't do that.

To do it correctly the head and the block should be milled so you get a three way match at the top of the valley rail. The cylinder head, deck surface and valley rail should all meet at the same point. Lots of guys never check that which is why they have problems with the intake leaking.
Posted By: WyleECoyote

Re: Alum Heads & Alum Intake - valley pan question. - 01/23/15 11:00 PM

Quote:

Depends how much space there is which in turn depends on if the heads/block/intake have been milled or not.

You have to mock it up to see and then go from there. I always mill the intake side of my cylinder heads so I can use a double paper gasket but most people don't do that.

To do it correctly the head and the block should be milled so you get a three way match at the top of the valley rail. The cylinder head, deck surface and valley rail should all meet at the same point. Lots of guys never check that which is why they have problems with the intake leaking.



I'm tracking with ya - I'll put the manifold on with no gaskets and see how it all matches up bare - then determine if the paper gaskets are needed. Makes sense with how you explained it, thank you.
Posted By: cl440

Re: Alum Heads & Alum Intake - valley pan question. - 01/23/15 11:16 PM

we've ran with no paper gaskets, with only one set of paper and with both sets of paper. Just depends on how everything lines up.
Posted By: WyleECoyote

Re: Alum Heads & Alum Intake - valley pan question. - 01/23/15 11:35 PM

Quote:

we've ran with no paper gaskets, with only one set of paper and with both sets of paper. Just depends on how everything lines up.




Roger that, thanks for the feedback. Made total sense when Andy laid it out like that in layman's terms!!!
Posted By: StealthWedge67

Re: Alum Heads & Alum Intake - valley pan question. - 01/24/15 05:21 AM

I've run a couple of different B series motors, with iron heads and a set of source heads. Just the valley pan seems to be what always works for me. I usually run a thin bead of RTV right at the seal-bead that's in the pan at the ports.
Posted By: Exit1965

Re: Alum Heads & Alum Intake - valley pan question. - 01/24/15 04:26 PM

I used paper gasket on top of the head, and a light film of hylomar around the ports on every sealing side. It lined up that way, and I like the idea that there is something for the assembly to press into.
Posted By: Joshs68

Re: Alum Heads & Alum Intake - valley pan question. - 01/24/15 05:06 PM

I have tried without the paper gaskets and could not get it to seal. Always leaked into the valley. I used both paper gaskets and the pan with minimal RTV and it has now been fine for years. It lined up fine with all 3 also, aluminum heads and intake.
Posted By: 64Post

Re: Alum Heads & Alum Intake - valley pan question. - 01/24/15 11:31 PM

I cut the runners off the tin, tuck the edges under each head, then use one copper tack paper gasket between the head and intake. No chance to suck oil into the runners.
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Alum Heads & Alum Intake - valley pan question. - 01/24/15 11:47 PM

The hot lick is to use the paper gaskets that are available now in .015 thick( not .030 each like Fel Pros ) making it easier to use one on each side of the pan..but the coolest trick is use Holomar around the intake ports--I mean... I use RTV at the ends and up to the first bolt hole--You have to--never a leak but...fuel kills RTV so you turn to a product invented by Mercedes (I think) called Holomar--a blue goo that is NOT affected by fuel or oil or temp it will seal up around intake ports like a bank vault
Posted By: BSB67

Re: Alum Heads & Alum Intake - valley pan question. - 01/25/15 12:53 AM

Quote:


I always mill the intake side of my cylinder heads so I can use a double paper gasket but most people don't do that.





Doing that for over 30 years. No adhesive or sealant on the head or the intake. Makes intake swaps a snap.
Posted By: Cab_Burge

Re: Alum Heads & Alum Intake - valley pan question. - 01/25/15 09:27 AM

Rolls Royce, or some British firm associated with them, develop Hylomar during WW2 to seal up intake gaskets on thier liquid coooled aircraft motors. I use it, it is a great gasket sealer You need to use a very thin coat of it on both sides of the gasket and a very thin coat on each of the mating surfaces on the heads and intake, not thick at all
Posted By: 451Mopar

Re: Alum Heads & Alum Intake - valley pan question. - 01/25/15 11:33 AM

Quote:

Depends how much space there is which in turn depends on if the heads/block/intake have been milled or not.

You have to mock it up to see and then go from there. I always mill the intake side of my cylinder heads so I can use a double paper gasket but most people don't do that.

To do it correctly the head and the block should be milled so you get a three way match at the top of the valley rail. The cylinder head, deck surface and valley rail should all meet at the same point. Lots of guys never check that which is why they have problems with the intake leaking.





My old 451 engine with the B-1 B/s heads and M1 intake, I had to have 0.100" taken off each side of the manifold. I think the block may have been milled down, not sure about the heads, but that is most I have ever had to take off to get an intake to fit.
Posted By: therocks

Re: Alum Heads & Alum Intake - valley pan question. - 01/25/15 04:00 PM

Ive run aluminum intakes since the 60s.Never used papers.Ran the kids 413 and my 440 for the last 20 years with none.My 440 also has aluminum heads for the last 5 years at least.No papers.Rocky
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