1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
350 Rocket

Crack is an understatement as you can see in the picture. Is there any way to repair this short​​​​​​​ of replacing the whole thing?

 

Wont hurt a thing. Might even be normal, is it leaking anything ? I have seen intakes before with gaps like that under bolts. As long as there is a washer on the bolt it will be just fine.

 

That crack is as cast. It's a slot in the intake

 

Agreed. Here's a web picture of a 350 intake manifold:

 

Thanks everyone! I was worried for a bit. I'll continue on my mission to get it running again.

 

The notch/slot is contained in the mold during manufacturing (as has been said previously). The liquid (smelted) cast iron is poured into the mold which forms the notch/slot. The notch/slot is/was used to assist in alignment of the intake manifold onto the engine during seating/assembly on the assembly line. If you remove the intake manifold (yourself), during reassembly (it weights ~55 lbs), consider placing a "taller" bolt at that position until you have the intake manifold seated on the intake manifold gasket (to aid in positioning/aligning the intake manifold). Once installed/assembled, place the original (or appropriately sized) bolt in place.

 

Norm, that's a good idea to use a taller stud for intake manifold alignment during assembly. Especially considering the fact that the turkey tray gasket isn't easy to install.👍

 

That is not a "crack". It is a purposely-machined slot. The intake bolt holes are all oversize to allow for tolerance stackup from machining. That one slot is tight relative to the bolt diameter. This is what locates the intake fore/aft on the long block. The slot allows the intake to "float" up and down relative to the mating surfaces on the heads to allow for machining tolerances, so that the intake bottoms on the intake flanges of the heads and not on the bolts. It is much easier to machine a tight tolerance slot like that than a tight tolerance oval hole. Stop stressing over this.

 

A bolt head will not fit through the slot when lowering the intake down into position during assembly. There's a reason a threaded stud is used in that position.

 

Right, DOH!

 

No one stated to "lower" the intake manifold "down" into position over the obviously large bolt head. You can "easily" slide the intake manifold into position while using a "taller" bolt "then" lower the intake into position "below" the bolt head. Works flawlessly.

 

Unless I'm missing something - I don't believe anyone was stressing over this. It was a very simple question - no stress involved.

 

Worrying that an obviously and intentionally machined slot is a "crack" is stressing over it.

 

You're right, Joe - what was I thinking.

 

50 pounds of "easy" ? You don't want to damage or shift the intake gaskets.