'61 intake reassembly

[MidModCad]

Finally got my manifold and rebuilt carb ready to install. The shop manual calls for gasket paste on both sides of the intake gasket. Any consensus on which brand works best. I'd planned to use Permatex Super High Tack on the valve cover gaskets. Would that work well on the intake? The manual also says to coat the metal carb spacer with gasket cement. Same question. And to be sure, they mean both sides of the plate, yes?  If I have it right, the order is gasket, insulator, plate, gasket, carb - so the spacer mates directly to the carb.  Sorry for the dumb question, but my car arrived without a spacer.

[Caddyholic]

What carb do you have? Carter are Rochester? The carter uses a stainless steel shim under the carb.

[MidModCad]

Yes, Carter.  Got the shim and ready to install.  Just want to make sure I'm using the best coating.

[Daryl Chesterman]

I used Gasgacinch gasket sealer to coat the metal shim under the carburetor.  The proper order of the gaskets, spacer and shim is in the Factory Service Manual (FSM) in the Carburetor section.  If you don't have the FSM, here are two pages from the 1959 FSM that talks about the carburetor installation and the order of the gaskets, spacer and metal shim—yours should be the same.

     http://forums.cadillaclasalleclub.org/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=134970.0;attach=73425

     http://forums.cadillaclasalleclub.org/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=134970.0;attach=73423

Be sure the phenolic spacer is placed in the correct orientation—usually they are marked with "this side up" "top", or something similar.  If no marking, the heart shaped groove should face up.  The tab on the front of  the metal shim should go on the passenger side of intake manifold, and lines up with a little tab that sticks out on the front of the phenolic spacer (if your spacer has that tab).

Daryl Chesterman

[MidModCad]

Thanks, Daryl.  Did check the order in my manual, but wasn't sure if the shim plate needed gasket sealer on both sides. Using it between plate and carb. metal to metal, seems odd.

[Daryl Chesterman]

Thanks, Daryl.  Did check the order in my manual, but wasn't sure if the shim plate needed gasket sealer on both sides. Using it between plate and carb. metal to metal, seems odd.

I thought it was odd, also!  That is what the instructions said, so that is what I did, and the newly rebuilt carburetor I installed made the engine run perfectly.  I just had to do some very minor tweaking to the idle-air mixture screws and the idle speed adjusting screw and it idles smooth and steady and has good acceleration.

Daryl Chesterman

[MidModCad]

Fingers crossed my results are the same!