I have a ford 289. it isn't a high output engine, I needed advice for putting an aluminum intake and 4-barrel carb on it. Is this a good or bad thing to do as far as risking problems with the engine

 

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Welcome to the board!

 

You can do it. The major issue that comes about (which is often overlooked) is the fact that the engine has been driven for many many miles at a particular rpm range and as a result the engine is worn into a pattern of wear for that range. For example the cylinder walls are worn only so high in the cylinder. If you bolt on performance parts and suddenly start running a few thousand rpm's higher the rods will experience some stretch. Now this may only be a few thousandths of an inch, but it will cause the rings to contact the cylinder wall at a higher point, and possibly ride over a ridge. (every engine builds ridges and wear patterns) This can lead to early wear of rings etc. This also applies to say rocker arms, bearings, pully driven accessories etc.

Its typically not recommended to drastically change the way and engine is ran after it has been driven a certain way for an extended period of time. Now, if you just want to pep it up bit, no big deal. But if you will make a larger modification, be careful.

This also raises the question of hoping to make big power by a few simple bolt-ons. Remember, making good power is a whole package, heads, intake, cam etc. Not just one part.

Hope this helps.

Scott

 

Generally it's the first thing people do to their engine as a mild performance gain. It has to be done right. Not torqueing the intake properly will cause the engine to overheat. So there are risks but I don't see any if done properly. It's a minor upgrade so don't expect too much

 

Easy as pie. Drain some coolant so it doesn't spill into the valley, remove the old intake, stuff rags into the intake and coolant passages, put some cardboard in the valley, scrape off old gaskets, remove rags and cardboard after cleaning up from the gasket removal (shop vac works well), place new gaskets in the correct orientation, run a thick bead of sealant (that can tolerate oil) on the front and back rail (forget about the end seals that will come with the gasket kit, use the silicone), carefully place the manifold and bolt it down.

If you're new to the game, you might get a friend to help out (that cast iron manifold you're removing is heavy). Experienced guys can do it in no time, but don't worry about that, take your time and all will be good. The biggests problems people usually encounter is not enough silicone on the front/rear rails, or a coolant leak. Oh yeah, place a small amount of silicone around the coolant passages and a dab in the corners where the gasket contacts the rails.