Big Block Intake manifold

[Yenko freak]

This manifold I have is in good shape. No grinding, or polishing, or welds. No helicoils or stipped holes. However the finish is as dirty as can be expected from sitting around for 33 years.

How would one go about cleaning it and getting it back to as mint conditon as possible, without wrecking the hand stampings. I'v heard about this reskinning process, but I'm unfimiliar with this.

[Keith Tedford]

This intake could be either COPO or L78. I have another 163 intake. It has no Winters foundry marking and the numbers read left to right in front of the carb mounting pad rather than out the top intake runner. It has no date code either. These intakes didn't have the steel splash shield rivetted to the bottom as did the small block intakes. There is a splash shield you can buy from GM that snaps between the heads to keep oil off the underside of the intake.
To get the intake back into as new condition I give them a thorough cleaning in soap and water then have them glass beaded with new bead followed by a second scrubbing to get rid of all the glass bead dust. The surface finish is as original and will be very easy to keep clean. Sand blasting will create a satin finish which is both incorrect and hard to clean.

[Yenko freak]

Thanks very much to all for the replys in regards to my 198 intake.

This site is very cool!!!!