Im going to be installing my intake in a day or two and I was wondering if you guys had any tips or tricks to make sure it gets done right the first time. Any good/bad experiences?

I dont wanna have oil shooting all over the place.

 

Just don't strip the bolts. One of my best friends dads wouldn't listen to me and stripped them off, it totally sucked. It's a pretty straightforward process if my memory serves me right...

 

Clean the surfaces very well. After the silicone has been placed lower the intake straight down over the bolt holes then lightly tighten the bolts to prevent any movement of the intake. Go one inch up on the heads with the silicone gasket sealer both front and back.

 

I followed this guide along with a Haynes manual when reinstalling mine when I did the cam. It was one of the guides on Brent's site, there are several there. I would read through a few of them before doing it, they all offer good tips. Most important is getting the front and rear mating surfaces on the block good and clean, then scuff them up with a wire brush or some 100 grit sandpaper (I did both) Put a generous amount of RTV down (I used high temp ultra copper) then let it set up for 30 minutes. I used two wooden dowel rods cut down to about 2" in bolt holes at opposite corners of the heads to get it to drop down straight and to make sure it was aligned right, that was the only tricky part. Then bolt down in sequence, etc. Wait at least 24 hrs for it to cure before starting it, I waited 48 to be safe since it was very cold out at the time. No leaks since

 

clean clean clean, is the important thing, and sand it down a little, wherever the gasket touches, dont be afraid to use the rtv mostly on the front and back rails, and let it sit as long as you can for a good cure, i let mine sit for 3 days before i started it, now my oil pan, or rear seal in leaking

 

Excellent advice above.

I did mine recently on a cam install. I'll add that I used brake cleaner to thoroughly clean the surfaces after carefully scraping all the old gasket sealant crap off with a razor blade. I really like the blue can of brake cleaner found at Advance Auto stores. Get the Fel-Pro premium 1284 gasket set for $23 or so.