Well I thought I had posted this but couldn't find it or the email. I took a 455 and put on Aluminum heads and intake. When putting the intake on I did not put the valley pan on due to the pan has points that set on the heads. The Aluminum heads do not allow for this. Also when puting the intake on in the valleys we just put a thick bead of RTV from head to head. I am now getting a leak and wondering if I should have put the pan in.

 

The valley pan doesn't seal the front and back edges of the intake anyway, so that's a moot point. The four formed locating bosses actually just fit into the front and back intake bolt holes on each head, so I'm not sure why the aluminum heads matter. The nice thing about the pan is that it keeps hot oil off the bottom of the intake. If you don't want to use it as a gasket, at least take an old pan and cut the intake port sections off of it. Now you can snap the remaining pan under the overhanging edges of the heads and still have the oil deflector function.

 

so that will keep the oil down and not put that much presure on the Valley area's since that is were my leek is coming from? Correct.

 

Oil pressure isn't the problem. Proper sealing is the problem. I've been running RTV on my 71's Ebrock intake for over 2 years with no leakage...and no turkey tray at all.

Preparation! Can't get the surfaces clean and oil-free enough! Clean it two or three times. (Obsessive/Compulsive that I am).

Use enough RTV. I layed on a thin bead, working it into the "keeper holes" and those weird side angles, let it skim, layed on thick and wide bead, let it skim, layed on a thinner bead, let it skim, and even a third thin bead and let it skim before even thinking about putting on the intake. I believe I even used a straightedge to check the height. (OCD again!)

Don't "push" the overflow flat....it'll just glop into the valley and unseal itself. Wait a few days and cut it down with a knife. (It was really hard to wait!)

Do you have a PCV problem that might be blowing the seal?

These were a few random thoughts whizzing through my empty head. No OCD this time....just crazy!

C.J.

 

Wow C.J., I didn't realize it but you just might be OCD. But I bet your manifold looks clean and neat! And who can't appreciate that?