Be sure to use the right gasket set / correct gasket material around the intake and water ports otherwise your going to have issues. Use a top of the line gasket set that has the nice end seals.

Use nothing but Gasgacinch all the way around for everything - bar none. It is the best sealer money can buy. It is far better than permatex for one and, provides a better interface junction at the water ports, intake ports etc.

I used it for everything on my truck and, I have been using it for years and without one failure. I don't care for Permatex products at all other than black, RTV. Around the water ports: use Permatex Silicone based, black, hi temp RTV to prevent leaks. Apply it over the Gasgacinch. This ensures water from leaking into the intake ports.

I have posted a method for the entire method from start to finish that should help you to avoid any issues. Here it is:

Here's a method that works:

1. Before removing the intake that is on the truck now, use some CRC Freeze off on all 4 of the outside bolts. There's the two front and two rear bolts. The two front bolts are through holes so, they can also be sprayed from underneath as well as on top. If you don't do this- I can guarantee that they will snap off in the heads. Let them soak for hours. The inside ones you can hit as well but, do focus on the two rear and two front bolts as these are always rusted like a SOB. If you snap them, you can later try and use the freeze off after the intake is off. Just spray it on, tap on the bolt a few times and grab it with vice grips to gently wiggle it to loosen it. Then it will come out by hand. If you snap it off in the head- you can grab at it with needle nose pliers after spraying it and once it's loose, it will twist right out.

Also, prepare four dowel pins by simply cutting the heads off of the old ones. Clean them well.

2. Cleaning step: Place lots of paper towels or shop rags into the lifter valley first. Then, place pieces of paper or shop towels into all the ports on the heads. Your now ready to start cleaning.

a. Clean: the old gasket material off with a thin blade putty knife, straight razor etc at the heads and front and rear seal areas.

b. Sand: using sandpaper wrapped around a flat block of wood or, you can also use a sanding spong- about 150 grit, to remove the fine gasket material left behind. This also makes a nice surface for the new gasket sealer to adhere to. Do both rear and front seals as well.

c. Wipe: Using Acetone: soak clean rags- don't use paper towel for it shreds and ends up all over the place. Use non dyed fabric. I prefer to use white material as it shows dirt. Clean until the white material remains white after cleaning- that's when it's clean. Now your ready to prep your gaskets and heads. Note: clean all holes out as well using brake cleaner or acetone on a shop rag and work in the holes to remove any oils.

3. Gasket Sealer Step: Note: use Gasgacinch only. I don't care what anyone else recommends, I have worked with Permatex and RTVs, silicones etc, Indian head, and none work as good as Gasgacinch for intakes. Look around for it. Car Quest carries it. It is THE BEST sealer around and has been for years. Permatex HI Tack doesn't work as good for this application and if someone is trying to sell you on that- don't do it.

a. Apply the sealer to the heads, front seal area, rear seal area and on the intake 100%. Use a shop light to see if you have any holidays- if you missed a spot- it will fail. It must be coated 100% on the entire surface area and it must be applied in one shot to make a perfect seal. Watch out as it does dry fast so, avoid overlapping a section that has begun to skin over. Let dry min 10 minutes. The working time is about 3 hours. So, you have plenty of time to work.

b. Apply sealer to your end seals- BOTH sides. Make sure it is totally sealed- NOTE: not so heavy that it fills in the mid section that is between the two outside seal lips. Set aside and let dry.

c. Apply sealer to the intake gaskets- Do both sides PRIOR to installing them on the engine. Do this on clean cardboard. Avoid dirt being stuck to them.

d. Apply Permatex Silicone BLACK, HI-TEMP RTV to all 4 corners of where your end seals sit and around the water ports only. DO NOT use around INTAKE OR EXHAUST ports. This should be about a 1/4 for front and rear seals and only 1/8 around the water ports. If using 1/4 around water ports, remember to apply it back away from the edges about half that amount to avoid excess squeeze out into the port area. If that happens, wipe immediately. Apply around water ports on the intake as well.

e. Place your intake gaskets on the heads and seat into the RTV. Try not to disturb the RTV too much. You have about five minutes time to do both sides before it begins to skin. OEM recommends 3 minutes to assy but, that's not happening with one person. The main thing is to have the gaskets sitting IN the RTV. Oil will leak behind the gasket if the RTV is not applied first. The gasket must be seated into the RTV in order to seal behind it.

f. Place your end seals on now. Set them in place. They align using tabs. Drop them straight down and firmly press down to seat them into the sealer.

g. Now that your intake gaskets are in place- use a CLEAN socket to firmly roll out the air from behind them. Do not squeegee it for it will tear the sealer.

h. Apply more Permatex silicone black (about an 1/8" bead) over the 4 corners where graphite intake gaskets meet end seals. Same spot that you applied to minutes earlier- just apply more over the entire junction there.

i. Thread in the 4 dowel pins that you made earlier into the number 5 and 6 holes and number 11 and 12 in the front I believe. Two up from the rear holes. If you use the rear holes, this particular intake will not slide under the distributor.

j. Angle the rear side down and under the distributor while aligning with the rear pins first followed by the front two pins. Gently lower straight down and DO NOT MOVE it.

k. Insert your new bolts and torque per OEM recommendations.

Note: I assembled my entire intake on the bench- including fuel rails and injectors. They make nice handles by the way. For all your brass fittings, use Permatex hi temp thread sealant for all your water fittings. Use Indian head shellac under your T-stat. Let it tack up. Do pay attention to installing the T-stat in the proper orientation. Apply Indian Head on both sides of the cork gasket and T-stat housing. Assemble the T-stat into the intake, place the cork over it, then place the hose fitting / housing on and seat fitting so that it seats flush. Torque to OEM spec.

Once that is all done, she's ready to drop in.

 

cmckenna, you say to use a quality gasket set, does that mean that the seals that go on the front and rear of the intake that i got from hughes aren't good enough?

and what about that thin metal shim looking deal for the plenum plate to the intake? i thought it was supposed to be a rubber gasket.

 

Do you mean the Mopar metal-reinforced rubber gasket one? APS sells those in their kit.
http://www.apsprecision.com/

 

the hughes just came with a thin metal gasket thing with no rubber at all. i don't know if it goes on with a metal reinforced rubber gasket or silicone or what.

 

it said in the instructions not to use any sealant/gasket maker. and the manifold is in the truck now Should have it runnin tonight, im working outside in the dark with a couple lights right now lol, but now im takin a smoke break..............then food...........then back to the truck.

also cmc, in case you didnt know this is my second time pulling the manifold out in less than a month and a half. i got a free manifold from my boss, and i got it ported and polished as you could see. then i kegger modded it, (kinda, i left the egr pipe port.) and put another hughes plate on.

last time, i didnt get manifold clean, didnt change dist. cap/plugs, 02 sensor, didnt kegger mod it, so thats what i did this time. and the last time i got it right cuz the truck ran excellent, but i appriciate all the details.

 

hmmm....sounds like something i could do. next motor re replace, im gonna see about getting the intake off of it.

CMC, what bolts are you refering to putting CRCfreeze off on?

 

The instructions are referring to not using RTV - Silicone with rubber front and rear seals. That is what that meant. The reason is because Silicone and rubber act as lubricants for each other, however, you still have to use some form of RTV/ Silicone sealant at certain places otherwise, your going to have water seeping into your intake ports as well as potential vacuum leaks when it expands and heats up. Over time, it will develop a leak if no sealant is used; either a water or vac or both.

If your just running a gasket and no sealant at the water ports, no sealant at the end seals and no sealant at the intake ports, that's not good. I would take it off a redo it.

The real issue is that whomever wrote up those instructions to install the Hughes intake, did a lousy job. IT's so poor and, only covers the installation of the components onto the intake. There's nothing in there about making gaskets. It's very lacking and, if you go to Edlebrock, there, you will find proper instructions on how to address these areas.

The end gaskets by Hughes are somewhat cheap. The material that is used on the end gaskets is somewhat brittle. There's two types of material. One is cork and the other is a rubber like material with tangs that is formed around a metal core. These are the ones that you don't use RTVs / Silicones on because, again, Silicone is a lubricant to rubber and, what ends up happening time and time again to users who use RTV under the gaskets, they end up with those front and rear seals rolling out from under the manifold or squeezing out sideways. Then, you end up with a nice oil leak in both front and rear- guaranteed.

But, to run those without any sealant at all is a sure recipe for leaks. Especially in the rear around both sides of the end seals. The oil is going to make it's way behind the tab on the graphite gasket and out and around the end of the end seal thus resulting in an oil leak. It may not happen right away, but, over time, it will leak.

This is why it is an absolute must to follow the OEM / Edlebrock installation process to include RTV / Silicone just at the four corners at the graphite and rubber seal junctions as well as around all water ports to prevent leaks.

Gasgacinch creates a superb, flexible seal that expands and contracts at the block and head interface without shearing / tearing. It's outstanding resistance to oil and water makes it the best medium to use in this application.

I would keep an eye on that rear and front end seal as well as keeping an eye out for loss of coolant due to it being sucked into the intake port and mixing in the combustion chamber.

 

I used the Hughes gasket set only to rip it off and replace it. It didn't leak but, I noted the rear end seal had cracked and was deformed. In time, it would have developed a leak for sure.

I used the latest Felpro intake set - it's a -1 at the end of the P/N. The gaskets are of better material and fare better than the one that Hughes ships with their kits. Not that the Hughes ones are junk. I have seen junk kits before, and, their sets are not junk. It's just the end seals are not as good nor are the head to intake gaskets as good of materials as what you can get in the latest revision of what Felpro has to offer.

I used to use nothing but Victor Reinz but, as of late, they have had a change to what they now offer to the public and, I did not care for their intake kit.

That's why I recommend Felpro for this installation. Just be sure to get the rubber end seals and not the ones that have cork end seals.

 

The four bolts being referred to are the two front and two rear ones. These are exposed to the elements and they rust solid.

 

Oh, one more note, I did not use any of the Hughes fasteners. They stretch and elongated on the first go around on mine and were not holding torque like I prefer. I used grade 8, socket cap all the way around.