Aluminum Intake Manifold Splash Sheld Removal

[Hot Rod Todd]

I want to remove the splash shield on my intake. The rivets are the button head type. Can they be removed intact? Or will I have to chisel or drill them in order to remove the shield? Any help would be great. If you have done this, please let me know how it worked out.

[CVKUEBER]

They will come out with lots of patience. The replacement GM rivets pound in. The service part # is 3959544 which is superceded to 10229247, However I have not seen the 10229247. The 3959544 has the correct appearing button head with a splined shaft. Just use a hammer to tap them in place. There's still a few GM dealers that show the old part#. Let me know and I can fax you a list of phone numbers.

[Hot Rod Todd]

When you say lots of patience, do you mean that prying it out is possible?

[Jerry@CHP]

There's a knack to getting them out and if you're not careful, you will break the head off and wind up sending it to us for removal.  We do hundreds of intake restos a year, and have developed the rivet removal after years of doing them....... 

Jerry

[68Zproject]

Just curious Jerry, when I had my intake restored you took off the splash shield?

[Jerry@CHP]

Yes, we take them off before they go inito the tumbler......and install new rivets

Jerry

[68Zproject]

Then it was perfect.  I couldn't tell it had been taken off.  I never told you it looks great still, but you probably knew that.

[Gambitt]

When I got my intake back from you Jerry, I was disappointed to see it had regular old screws holding the splash shield on...I was expecting rivets...is that something you have just started doing recently?  I had mine restored by you a few years ago and I still don't have it on my car yet.

[Jerry@CHP]

We had to use the screws over again because the holes were drilled oversize and tapped.  The rivets will not work when people do this to their intakes.  Rather than treat this as a repair welding up the old holes, profiling the surface and drilling new holes which will add a lot of expense to the job, installing the screws was the more prudent route to take,

Hope this makes sense.

Jerry 

[fireZ]

Both my Zs are done the same way with screws  . It is the way the cars had been done before I purchased them. It will not cause any future trouble once on the engine.

[Gambitt]

Perfectly understandable.  I didn't realize it was like that, but since the splash shield was removed when I received the intake originally, I can see why the holes would have been oversized.  It isn't a big issue, I was just curious.  Thanks for clearing that up for me.