Tips for changing intake manifold

[Longroof79]

I'm guessing if it was a bad thermostat it would have consistently run hot...like Steve suggested, it was probably an air pocket, or bubble in the cooling system and it burped itself free.
I think replacing the thermostat is cheap insurance.

 

[TURNA]

For the valve cover breather just cut a small piece of the heater core size hose and connect it to the ends of the tube and air cleaner nipple

 

[Opie Knievel]

I'm guessing if it was a bad thermostat it would have consistently run hot...like Steve suggested, it was probably an air pocket, or bubble in the cooling system and it burped itself free.
I think replacing the thermostat is cheap insurance.

Could be the thermostat could have been an air bubble. I've had thermostats intermittently stick before.

 

[pontiacgp]

Yea I didn't bleed anything. Don't really know how. It's alright now tho, no more smoking. And a factory replacement thermostat may be in order as well. I'll have to work on getting that valve cover breather thing dealt with as well. Right now she at least runs and drives without trouble, and I'm happy. Thanks for all your help guys! Hopefully all of the information compiled on this single thread is enough to help the next guy who wants to do this and doesn't know anything about it haha. The car is still a work in progress! The work never stops lol

I use a kit like this to bleed the system....

 

[TURNA]

OOO dat's fancys

 

[pontiacgp]

OOO dat's fancys

it works great, you can keep the funnel full which is the highest point and it is sealed to the rad. After the bubbles are gone the plunger seals the funnel so you can remove it from the rad and simple sit the funnel in the antifreeze container, pull the plunger and let the contents go back into the container.

 

[TURNA]

I have these, push the bleeder or crack the plug.

What's great about these is that no one wants them and they always seal perfectly.

 

[LukeZ]

Had to dump some metal and old batteries at the scrapyard today. After subtracting the weight of the scrap and my weight, my car weighs about 3530lbs with a quarter tank of gas. That's at least less than I thought it weighed lol. Its a pretty much stock 86 SS Elco in case anyone doesn't know haha. Only major mods that would affect the weight are a bed cover from Gaylords and the aluminum Eddy. Removed the smog pump and all that as well. Not sure what it weighed prior to the swap; I should have weighed the old intake vs the new intake before I put the new one in and chucked the old one. Oh well lol. Just thought it'd be helpful to the post the weight for anyone looking at this job in the future.

 

[pontiacgp]

you'll find the weight of the cast iron and your new intake online

 

[pontiacgp]

the cast iron intake is 41 lbs, your intake is 16.5 lbs.....

have you bled the cooling system yet?