intake manifold dismantle

Finally I need to fix my coolant leakage and it looks like the leakage is next to the thermostat where the intake manifold meets the cylinder head. I had some exchange with Gary about a year ago and I guess he was right with his suspicion. Any hints or suggestions from those who did this job before. It´s  a Windsor 302 EFI from 86. Can I go directly to dismantling the EFI and then the manifold or do I need to dismantle anything else to have enough space? Any suggestions / experiences or links to videos or manuals are more than welcomed. Greetings from overseas. Jochen

Jochen - Sorry to see that you have to do that.  While I've not done it on a truck with EFI, it really shouldn't be all that different than with a carb.  You should be able to pull off the injection equipment and then pull the manifold.

As for repairing the manifold, I've seen it done using JB Weld, which is a metal-filled epoxy.  We cleaned the gasket surface thoroughly, filled the pits with JB Weld and let it harden, then filed it back to close to flat, and then used sand paper on a file to sand it back to flat.

Then when we installed it we used 4 long bolts with the heads cut off to serve as guide pins.  But even then it is possible to get the thing cocked a bit, so take care that it is level as you install it.  And put some RTV around the coolant passages in the front and rear, just to make sure they seal.

On the EFI manifold I believe there is one bolt that requires a Torx bit and a long skinny extension to reach.

T-40, 1/4" drive, 150-175 mm extension.

Or the Wiha 77117 is available on Amazon for around $10 delivered here in the U.S.
That 3/8" drive is skinny enough to fit.

INstalling the lower intake is no different than installing any SB Ford intake manifold. There are definite do's and don'ts. Do not use th end, front and rear, cork gaskets or rubber for that matter. Do it all in RTV. Also, RTV is very important at the water jackets, front and rear. I smear a light coat on the head, drop the gasket on and smear a light coat on the intake and drop it on. A small amount is key, but you need to work quickly as small will skin up fast. Break the surface tension by rubbing the RTV around first on the metal. Done correctly, your intake will not leak water . .or oil as in the front and rear seals ( break the surface tension on  these locations as well, but end up with about a 3/8" bead to smash down when intake is set in place..

Guys, thank you very much for your hints and tips. Much appreciated and I will return once done. Take Care

So finally last week I had the intake gasket(s) replaced and for the last week the truck was dry. Cool. 

Yippee!  Glad you got it fixed.  Well done!