Im gona do the plenum replacement this summer and have found a junkyard that has a couple second gen dodges. I wana pull an intake off of one of them so i can get the new plenum set up and just swap the intake out. What should i look for on the new intake as far as imprefections or signs of ware. Is there anywhere i could go that would be able to polish or clean the intake or could i do it my self? Thanks in advance

 

I would avoid anything that has a lot of corrosion (white powder) on it. Also if the engine still has any coolant still in it (doubtful)Pop the rad cap and check the condition. Old antifreeze becomes corrosive and can rot out the manifold.
Other than that as long as there is no physical damage you should be good to go.

Make sure you get one off an older truck as there is no provision for EGR after 95 model year.

 

Since your truck is a '94, you need one that also has EGR. So it pretty much has to be from another '94-'95, though some '96 and even a few '97's had EGR still. A '98-01 will not work for you though. Otherwise, if the intake is still on the truck, it would probably be in good enough condition.

-Just check for cracks and obvious signs of damage.

-If it is already removed, make sure the mounting surface for the plenum plate, and to a lesser degree the TB, are smooth and flat. Use a straight edge and a feeler gauge to check for flatness/trueness. Then, it might be worth it to take it to a machine shop to have them machine the mounting surface if it needs it. They can also dunk tank it in solvents to clean all the old oil and coolant out of it, and they can probably even media blast it to make it look brand new. When I did mine, I took the new intake to a machine shop. They cleaned it and checked the surfaces for trueness. Cost about $25. I then cleaned mine suing a brass brush and wheel connected to a drill. That shined it up nicely.

-Also check that the injector boss holes are not damaged in anyway, though that would probably be unlikely.

-Before I even left the junk yard, I would make sure you could remove the sensors and other items (thermostat housing, coolant nipples, etc...) that you might want to replace. Don't want to get it home, and find out that they are stuck in there, or that the threads are ruined.

-I would also try to get it with the thermostat housing already attached. This will give you the chance to install your new thermostat well in advance (let the RTV cure better this way), and then when you install the intake, just need to connect the hose. Saves time when your doing the intake install.

-Also, make sure all the mounting bolt holes on the top (for various accessories that connect to the top of the intake) are not broken, and that the threads are good.

That's all I can think of right now.

Good info in here too:
https://dodgeforum.com/m_1162946/tm.htm

 

wow awesome. Thats alot of good info. Ive got a friend thats gona help me with the repair this summer. Would it help to paint the intake to keep it from corroding or to help disapate heat better? thanks for the help

 

I think bare aluminum disapates heat better then painted alum, but that's just my opinion.