[GoreMaker]

Originally Posted by Pav8427

I would be curious to know if removing that much material had any effect whether the intake stayed straight and didnt warp.
Wouldnt think so. But a straight edge should tell us.

I was worried about that, especially with the acetylene torch cutting. But I placed the intake manifold on the heads and everything is perfectly flat and straight. That casting is SOLID, there's a good reason it weighs 45+ pounds as-cast.

Even if it wasn't perfectly straight, having the center section of the mounting flange removed allows greater flexibility to accommodate any twist in the runners as the bolts are tightened down, and any wave would be taken up by the gaskets. This isn't a boosted application, so sealing isn't difficult.

The carb flange is also still perfectly flat, but the carb gasket would take up any unevenness even if it wasn't.