Ok I have looked at a couple threads and kinda need a better answer. I have the high tack for the turkey pan. My question is how much do I paint on? Just around the holes. Or paint the whole thing about 4" down? And I'm not using the middle holes in my heads and manifold. So I'm going to use a piece of metal to block them off. So should I put the piece of merely on the head side of the gasket or the intake side? Any help would greatly be appreciated.

 

Paint around the holes as those are the areas that need to be sealed.

I don't understand what you mean about "not using" the middle holes in the head and manifold (this is the exhaust crossover). How are you "not using" them? Are the heads filled? Is the intake welded? If there is anything already blocking off the crossover, then you don't need to do anything gasket-wise.

 

I'm not really sure. I believe it has sumthing to do with the egr. Well that's what I gather anyhow. When I took the engine apart they had these little rectangle pieces of metal blocking the center holes on the heads. I'm not sure why they did that and if I should our should not put them back.

 

Those maybe the edlebrock crossover block offs. They block the exhaust crossover to reduce heat under the carb. There is some debate on this but on a car driven only in warmer weather blocking the crossover is probably beneficial in some degree.

Originally the crossover provided quicker warm ups and hot air for choke operation

 

I've heard of people using a beer can to block the crossover ports before. Is this possibly the, "rectangle pieces of metal" you speak of?

 

On EGR equipped vehicles, the exhaust crossover is used to divert exhaust gases back into the intake air charge, but the crossover is present on non-EGR engines as well.
As posted above, the exhaust crossover in the heads and intake will direct hot exhaust gases underneath the carburetor for quick warmup in cold weather and increased fuel vaporization (and therefore better economy and driveability). The heated choke also uses the exhaust crossover for its heat source.

Blocking off the crossover means you need to switch to an electric choke.
As for the benefit of blocking off the crossover, I haven't noticed much of a benefit power-wise, but it definitely increases the engine warm-up time (well, I guess it's technically the carburetor warm up time). If you drive in anything under 50 or so degrees then I would not block the crossover.

 

Thanks for all the help. I'm new at these 455 engines. Thanks against to everbody who helped me out

 

I wouldn't put anything between a turkey tray gasket and head or intake. If you were using fiber gaskets it would be OK and I'd block it on the head side.

 

X2. The factory style metal gasket doesn't have enough compliance to accommodate the added thickness of a blockoff plate or shim. You're just asking for a leak.

Also, if by "high tack" you mean gasket tack glue, do not use this on the metal gasket. Use RTV around the four water ports only and nothing on the rest of the gasket. This is the procedure called out in the Chassis Service Manual.

 

I merged your identical posts into this one thread. It is neither necessary nor in your best interest to ask the same question in multiple threads. You'll get a better answer sooner if all responses are kept in a single thread so that incorrect info can be caught and corrected.