I have a BBC with new Brodix heads to a new brodix intake using Brodix's gaskets for that setup.. when all sealed up with 15psi of air in the water jacket its leaking all 4 corners of the intake between the head.. I had pulled this motor out because i was getting cooloant in the cyls. And my P test is my 2nd attempt at sealing it up. its back apart now all cleaned up again, im sure ths is my problem but I need some advice. The block { 74 gm block} had some deep antifreeze pitting so i didnt think it had ever been decked but i may need to know now. I heard there were some measurments you can take from the center of the crank?? if not any suggestions on how to find out why this intake wont seal?? Im going to go out now and check the the V a lil bit angles and what not

 

You can measure the deck height, that will obviously tell you if it's been decked. Do you have the tools to measure or are you wanting to know some quick way to check yourself? Have your heads been milled extensively? If so your intake needs to be angle milled as well. I would put the heads on the block and then the intake on there without a gasket and see if it's flat, only reason I can think of that you cause water to leak.

 

If the heads and intake are new then it sounds like an issue with the deck on the block maybe.

Any heads I got I would have a hair shaved off just to be safe regardless of if they are new or not.

To many people to do not and they end up pulling it all back apart.

 

I layed the intake on all claned up with no gaskets and it sits perfectly IMO No cracks or gaps. weird.. I orderd every gasket recomended and of the 3 listed "Cometic" have the best matched ports perfectly identical to the head and intake, the other 2 "fel pro" and "brodix" there water ports are slightly bigger and ive tried both of those no luck. Only problem i have now for trying cometic is i dont know whos Bright idea it was to sell Intake gaskets Seperatly and not 2 in a box to make 1 set!!! anywho the 45$ Cometic gasket"s" i thought i had ordered was just one half or one bank.. wtf.. I didnt know you could only pull half of the intake i wont get into my smart *** thoughts because im sure theres a perfectly good reason... so i just ordered another one today. im getting fairly disquisted with this. im at almost 150$ now trying to seal up an intake manifold and of course this time its got a ten day wait to be shipped. so ill be open to any more suggestions for awhile

 

Thats the problem, when you set the intake on an assembled engine with no intake gaskets there should be space for the gaskets. It should not sit tight up against both heads and the block.
When you assembled the short block what was the piston to deck distance?

I had a block with a deep gash on the deck surface, had to have .040 milled off, the pistons were .008 out of the hole afterward. I could have bought pistons with a different compression height so they wouldn't stick out but I got thicker solid copper head gaskets instead.
This block gave me problems, with the intake gaskets in place the intake bolt holes wouldn't line up, had to have the intake angle milled, there is a common chart for different engines that tells machinists how much to take off the intake when a certain amount is taken off the deck.

To fix your problem the right way you should call a machine shop, if you know your exact compression distance of the pistons and connecting rod length you might be able to guess how much was milled off the deck by measuring piston to deck distance.
Otherwise you would need to strip it down to the bare block so the shop can measure off the main bore centerline to deck, then either machine the intake side of the heads, or the intake itself to the correct angle.

Keep in mind also that if your heads or intake are used they may have been milled for a decked block and that may be your problem.

 

Just because it looks good does not mean it is.
Take it to a GOOD machine shop man.

 

it sits tight to the heads only not the block sry, thanks good info!