1996 LT-4, rebuilt 383, Having trouble with the intake leaking oil. I am ngoing to tot ake it back to spend 400.00 to replace the gasket. I have ordered the fsm but I was wondering the steps to replace the gasket. What to take off and disconnect before I get into it. How long to replace the gasket. Thanks in advance. Engine has 20k on the motor.

It's not a big job, comparable to doing a small block with a carb.
Follow the FSM but the injector rails and hoses do not need to be taken apart, they can be layed back on the windshield on top of a pad,

The time depends on your ability, couple hours.

These intakes leak where guys use RTV on the front and rear china walls.
RTV just isn't that great, Get some Permitex "The Right Stuff" , it's far superior to RTV.

The main thing - the surfaces must be clean, really really clean. Use brake clean on a rag on the china walls.

Some will tell you to dimple the china walls with a punch to give the silicon more surface to grab.
Personnally, I don't bother with it since I started using The Right Stuff.

The gaskets go on dry, run a 1/4 - 3/8ths bead of TRS on the front & rear china walls, set the gaskets in place on the heads and put a dab of TRS on the ends of the gaskers where they are contacting the bead of TRS on the china walls. Make sure you set the manifold straight down when you reinstall it (don't slide it around).

Bill beat me to the punch - I will add, before you do anything, check to make sure the bolts at the ends of the manifold are torqued properly. If they are loose, you will leak oil. I'd bet this isn't the problem though, if the engine has been apart before.

Why would you spend $400 to replace the intake gasket?
Its not that hard,Bill laid out the procedure. the gasket and rtv or right stuff isn't that much.

And its a dry intake so you don't have to mess with draining coolant.

I've always used the rtv that came in the gasket kit, clean the china walls real good and put on the rtv, give it a couple minuts, slap on the intake, torque the bolts. Give it 12 hours, double check torque and attach everything else back on. I have not had an intake leak yet.

Yeah, James... the downside is your intakes don't stay on long enough to leak!

The Right Stuff(TRS) is the best solution for long term durability. It really holds up the best. No questions asked.

I have been a supporter of the dimpling idea, and it works great, especially with normal RTV - I used to use Copper before TRS came about.

It's a simple process...Remove the intake, clean, clean clean! I would lay a couple of rags into the valley so as to capture the big bits of debris. You really don't need big chunks of stuff falling into the engine! Oh, and don't forget to take said rags out. I have read where people have left rags inside... no, not me, I have always remembered those...

Also, it wouldn't be a bad idea to blast the valley with brake cleaner, just to be sure, then change the oil.

I appreciate the info. Just a little p/o because I took it back to the builder, a well known corvette shop in DFW and he told me 400.00 to repair. I figured he would reapir it since I spent lots of money to rebuild the engine.

A Felpro intake set is $21.00
A tube of TRS is $14.00

So, $35 and a can of brake clean will do it.