I agree 100%....take it have it welded professionally. The cast upper will need to be heated and kept under a heat blanket while welded, you need to find someone that can or has expeirence welding cast.
I use a thin walled socket for the back or even a 1/4" drive socket, you were putting way to mich stress on the nut and ear as you were tighting the bolt.
Alot of aftermarket intakes dont let you fit a torque wrench in the front and back nuts that are mounted on studs. Atleast my edlebrock performer wont let me, there is only room for a wrench.
No, its just common for the performer upper to crack in that spot. Its the ear where the bolt/stud goes through on the front and back. I have a performer intake and the front one was totally broken off when I bought. I got it welded back on and the back one welded because it was cracked. Now its on the car and its cracked again. So, I'm just gonna put some JB Weld on it told hold me over until I can get an RPM upper. And yes I have a vacuum leak too that I'm gonna be fixing this week. I need to adjust my rockers anyway.
Oh and as for that upper to lower gasket, I'd suggest doing like me and just buy a roll of gasket paper and make your own gaskets...especially if you have a spacer(s) like I do. I have two 3/8" spacers so I would need 3 gaskets and only 1 comes in that pack that Summit sells. A roll f gasket paper only costed me $8 and some change and I know I can cut at least 4 upper to lower gaskets out of it.
Just got back from the shop...he did a good job (atleast as far as I can tell)...he shaved off a little of the bottom to even out the trueness...I've got to blow a bunch of shavings off but that is no big deal...
Is their any way (if I found out the upper isn't going to clear) to make it clear the valve covers? without buying an intake spacer...I've read it won't clear the stock hood...I guess I'll have to wait and see if it hits or not before I can get logical ideas...
The gasket should come in any hour now...I won't get around to my car until tomorrow after college...I got to go to work here in a bit...
Thanks for everybodys ideas and thoughts...I'll keep ya posted and hopefully I don't crack it again...
I guess will try the 4th and 5th gear balancer pull...the car would creak after I let off the brakes when my friend was trying to break it loose...the car was wanting to roll...(in second gear of course)...will try a higher gear...hopefully it comes off...it is on there REAL WELL...
Well I got the gasket in today...so we were ready to install it all...
I blew off the intake real well of all the aluminum shavings and we bolted up the intake...and we found out why I cracked the ear off the intake...the valve where the two pcv hoses connect on to each other (from front of the engine) that is on the right back underside of the intake was hitting the taller valve covers which didn't allow the upper intake to sit flush which is why it broke off so easy...so we had an easy fix: We just pulled the intake off (we definatly checked this time) and screwed in that little two-way valve in more and it gave us the clearance so we bolted everything back down and went to start it...worried about that previous "shreak" noise...
It started right up and very nicely
It seems to have more pep into it...I changed the rotor, cap, plugs, plug wires, readjusted valves, new valve covers to stop little oil leak, new pcv valve, cleaned the IAC and TB...so I guess that was good for something...
I let the car idle for about a minute or two (let some of the "smoke" off the new antiseize come off) and shut it down...
Usually my car doesn't want to rev when cold...it would have a delayed reaction from the gas pedal to the actual engine...but after a minute of idle...it revved like it was fully warm...
Now all this could be in my head but it all ended up good...I didn't test drive it because when we shut the car off we were greeted with more good news...
We put the car in 5th gear (as I thought to do and as Michael suggested) but the guy with me said to put it in second gear...and with some hard pulls after a couple trys it broke loose and we got the balancer off...
Now we got to get it on tomorrow...I know by hand we can't get the new one to even engage on the keyway? So I guess I'm going to heat it up in the oven and see if it will go further? Any tips...
Alright I got the balancer on and the car is running great...my friend just wasn't getting it on the keyway so it would slide on...I messed with it and I slide it on easy and we just "pushed" it on with the bolt...
jb weld is normally pretty good stuff, my uncle fixed his cracked engine block on his boat with it because he didnt have money for a new motor...that a was a few years ago and its still holdin strong
jb weld is normally pretty good stuff, my uncle fixed his cracked engine block on his boat with it because he didnt have money for a new motor...that a was a few years ago and its still holdin strong