So im pulling my intake for about the 4th or 5th time I'm not very good with rtv lol. So I have a few questions. And yes I have searched. Um is it worth it to use "the right stuff"? And Im going to lay a big bead and let it set till its tack then lay it down with studs for guidance. Sound right? Another question. Im trying to make everything effecient as possible as far as heat soak, so which color would be the best for painting the intake? WP? Valve Covers?

 

Yes use a big bead of RTV. Black is fine. You want that bead to run all the way to the actual intake gasket. Do the same for the back. On the rear have your bead of RTV closest to you. Meaning that you'll run your bead of RTV infront of your oil pressure sensor. yeah using studs is perfect for guiding it in.

As for painting it i have no idea.

 

Black RTV is fine, but I use the Copper because of it's supposed to be for higher temps. If you really are having that much trouble, it might be worth it to try the Right Stuff, but I never needed it.

Make sure your studs aren't too long or the back of the intake won't fit under the cowl. You can only use guide studs on one side. I just used two for the corners on the DS.

In theory, and this is from old school days with cast iron intakes, you want the outside of the intake to be a flat black and the underside of the intake to be a white or light reflective coating, preferably ceramic. I'm not sure how useful, if at all, that would be on our more modern aluminum intakes. I painted mine black to match everything else, but red is more common.

 

Well its either gonna be black or white, im not looking for anything fancy lol just dont know which one will have less heat soak under the hood

 

Check this link for answers to your coating questions http://www.swaintech.com/store.asp?pid=10961 I used the BBE coating on the top and the TBC coating on the underside of the manifold. Don't know if it helps, but I'm certain it can't hurt.

 

Then go with black. No clear coat.

 

If you want to "paint" the intake and what not just get it powder coated.

 

When are people going to learn that the 'the right stuff' is amazing and everyone who has ever used it on the intake has never had a leak....I guess keep it up w/ the rtv if you enjoy removing intake manifolds...

 

What kind of paint do you prefer? I have duplicolor engine enamel thats good to 500* but doesnt it have to cure or paint chips will fall off?

 

Do you apply this product the same way you would RTV or is a different ball game?

 

I just bought the engine enamel from autozone. It probably was Duplicolor and I don't have any issues with it.

 

as far as painting goes, i taped off the bottom so i didnt get any overspray on it. then i painted the whole thing. let it sit for a day or two, then sanded the fins on top. pretty simple. used engine enamel in a blue color. hasn't chipped yet. edit: i should mention that i had just had my intake dipped for cleaning, so that probably helps with the paint adhesion. make sure it is super clean before painting.

instead of studs for guidance, i used a broken pencil or a broken wooden skewer on the four corners. before applying rtv, test the intake to make sure you have good clearance in the back to get the intake to slide straight down easily on the studs (or whatever you are using for guidance). i would suggest copper rtv due to it being a higher temp sealant. its worth the extra $1 or 2. a lot of heat builds up in the back side of the intake. make sure that the surface you are going to put rtv on is CLEAN! i use a super fine aluminum wire brush to clean the end rails and then follow with an alcohol to remove any oil products. i tend to put a bit more rtv in the corners, where the block and heads meet so that i get a good spread. a decent thick bead should work fine. let it sit for about 24hrs before firing it up. let it cure!

 

Okay ill do that. How would I go about painting the bottom of the intake? I've also done that twice if not three times before :/ so I'm gonna try the right stuff this time

 

Same as the top. Make sure it's really clean and tape up the machined surfaces. I would think a ceramic paint would be better for the bottom so that it will reduce heat transfer, but I'm not sure.

 

i'm not sure i follow when you ask how to paint the bottom of the intake? the bottom as in the side that mates up to the engine or the base of the intake around where the bolts go in with the injectors? i put small pieces of tape over the injector holes. if the tape around the injector holes arent perfect, dont sweat it. you'll never notice it when its all put together. tape up where the throttle body mates to the intake. tape off all the bottom edges that could get over spray. make sure to clean up the machined surfaces with a soft towel and some alcohol if you get paint on them. i wouldnt recommend anything abrasive to remove paint from the machined surfaces.

if you are indeed referring to the bottom side of the intake that covers the valley/mates to the block, why would you paint that?

and as far as rtv goes, ive use the copper stuff a million times without a problem. if the copper doesnt work for you, you arent doing it right.