Finally got my home-made heat plate installed and sealed.
I bought a couple of brass fittings, hose, and bolts to make this about 6 weeks ago. I used a piece of 1/4" flat stock, cut it to size, drilled it for the connections and bolts, and tried to get it to work. I threaded the holes for the brass fittings, screwed them in, cut off the excess on the back and used RTV to seal it up.
...that didn't work so well because the fittings leaked. So I tightened them down a bit. I think this pushed them too far into the cavity where they interfered with the intake and pushed the plate down so then it leaked around the plate itself.
I disconnected the hoses and ran it without heat. I had bad hesitation when I floored it and the intake was ice cold.
...so last weekend I stopped in at Lowes and got a piece of 1/8" thick rubber. I cut it into the right shape to make a gasket, took the heat plate off again, cut down the threads on the back of the brass fittings, and re-RTV'd it all back onto the stock intake manifold. I let it sit overnight, plumbed it up Wednesday night, tested it in my garage and it held.
The gasket was to add a bit more space for clearance and help seal against any rough areas on the intake casting.
Got to test drive it last night with the kids. No more hesitation. No more leaks.
Long story short: You need the heated intake manifold. Even in warm weather.
