Tim, I am using a kit from Fel-Pro, and there are 3 gaskets for the manifold. Not too fun trying to get them lined up, but I sprayed them with copper coat gasket spray, and put a tiny dab of grease on each end of the gaskets to help them stick and not fall down into the abyss of the engine bay. Probably another wacky idea, but in that past it's worked for me. (I said "farmer fix" in the last post, because growing up on the farm and still being a farmer myself, I've seen and performed lots of operations like that, knowing they may not be the "best" way to do something, but they work in a pinch when time and money is tight. No insults to any farmers intended) I'm going to call a couple machine shops real quick and see what the cost of surfacing will be, but before I take it that far, I will see if I can get the manifold disassembled, then put it together loosely on the motor, tighten the bolts on the head, then tighten the two manifold halves.
JW51, thanks. I'll see what my shop charges, if they can do it. He's a little shady, and you have to pretty much babysit his work. Gotta go over with a fine-tooth comb, because sometimes he tends to half-do things. I've got a reputable machine shop about 20 miles away, and I might just go there, if he can do the work.
