Air intake plugs-Help??

[azygoustoyou]

I'm trying to fill in the holes on the air intake. I want to use some plugs with maybe hex heads or whatever I can find. I've been everywhere around here and can't find anything that would work. If you filled yours. Please let me know what you did. Also if you know the sizes of these holes, please let me know. Maybe I could order something online. I Believe the smallest one to the right is a 10mm 1.25 The middle one may be a 14mm (?) size. I don't know what the larger one to the left is. Thanks for your help.

[amsiegel]

I think the one on the left is either 16 or 18mm with 1.25 thread. I used an an oil pan drain bolt to cap mine off. I had to cut the bolt down becasue it was one of the longer bolts is half threaded and half smooth. I cut it right where the bolt went from threaded to smooth. Advanced auto and Autozone have the oil pan plugs.

[mbouse]

juicy fruit has too much sugar, so i generally use double-bubble. two wads per hole does the trick, but be sure to wait at least six-eight hours for the gum to cure.

while you have the manifold on the workbench....just go down to the local auto zone with the manifold in hand. ask the pimple faced kid behind the counter to allow you to rifle through their collection of metric oil pan plugs. after he asks you for the year of your car, tell him that you'll also be needing some muffler bearings... and tell him that what ever he punches into his machine won't be in the computer database. eventually you will frustrate him enough for him to give up and let you see his metric oil pan plug collection.

i had to visit two different O.T.C. parts places before i found enough plugs of the right size, but i plugged all manifold holes in one round trip! never did keep track of thread sizes...

while you are at it, you may wanna remove that heat sensitive vacuum switch on the top center of the manifold as well. did you remove the two heat sensitive electrical relays off the bottom of the manifold?

[azygoustoyou]

No they're still there. I thought it would be all right to leave them. Since they're not really visible. What do you think. I went to three different places today and they rummaged through the plugs. Nothing was close.

[mbouse]

the plug on the top will eventually corrode and then leak, since that is a coolant port... i'd recommend plugging that hole too. just my $.02

[amsiegel]

most of the time the parts store only has 1 or 2 in stock of each size drain plug. Dont even ask the kid in the back. Its not one of those items that show up on the computer inventory. The guy in the truck comes by once a week ( Wed. around here) and puts whatever he wants on the shelf The plugs are usually on that isle of misc. packaged parts (door handles, nuts bolts, gas pedel rubber pieces, etc) or by the oil cans. I need 4 for a different project had to go to 5 stores.

[spiderrey]

why dont you just retap them for whats available and be done with it?

[azygoustoyou]

That was my second choice Rey. Do you guys know what standard sizes I should get for each hole that would work best? If not, I guess I'll just try to figure it out. I was hoping for the easiest solution.

[manoa matt]

I guess you dont need or plan on vacume assisted brakes, since you have an arrow pointing to that port. (far right)

[azygoustoyou]

I guess I should figure out what I actually need. HUH! I didn't know something off here went to the brakes. This is what happens when you don't have your car long and take it apart.
So I need the far right one. Do I need any other one?
I have an electronic dizzy with no advance and a 32/36 DFEV.

[manoa matt]

With that carb and a Plex dizzy, the brake booster port should be the only one you need.

You will need to decide what to do with the rear coolant port near the #4 intake runner. It was for the coolant activated choke for the old carb. You can find a rubber cap and a hose clamp, or a section of hose with a bolt in the end. Or route a hose around the back of the engine to the port on the heater tube that extends from the back of the water pump, since you will also need to deal with that port too.

For a clean look use the rubber caps, but most rubber caps are not reinforced and can fail resulting in a massive coolant leak. The hose solves both port problems, but is just that, an extra hose, however most of it is hidden.

Since both ports are mild steel, you can weld them shut. It is very difficult to get that port out of the intake manifold.

[azygoustoyou]

I got the air intake plugs done. I had to tap the one on the top and the one to the left. I went to NAPA for the plugs and taps. I was able to get a plug that fit right into the middle one at Autozone. It cost me about $28 total. I polished the plugs and it looks really clean.

[azygoustoyou]

I found all my plug needs from Napa. I was glad to find a place with the right stuff. They had the plugs and the taps.
Nicely polished.

[lanciahf]

With your carb you can also get rid of the water hose outlet near #4 Cyl.

[azygoustoyou]

Yeah I was thinking just to leave the hose since it goes behind the engine and would outlast a plug. What do you think?