Heat shield under intake?

[HeavyFuel]

After getting my '68 years ago, when I was tiddying up the engine bay, I found a rectangular piece of tin foil-like stuff between the intake manifold and the valley pan.  It had a little bit of padding to it, almost like a thin layer of insulation.  It was kinda crumbly, so I ditched it, figuring I would maybe replace it if need be.  Well in all the years since I have never seen or heard of any discussion on said foil.  Do any of you guys have something like this on your 440s?

[Chryco Psycho]

most big block engines  left the factory with the tin foil & insulation in place under the intake

[max]

just as a side note, you can rewrap them in new aluminum foil. don't take the old stuff off because i'm thinking it's asbostos. they used that stuff to help keep the intake cooler. alot of people throw them away, i still use them although.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Originally it was used as as sound deadner not heat insulation as shown in this factory bulliten. 

[Nacho-RT74]

No heat insulation... heat on engine comes from exhaust manifold mostly LOL . Is a tappets sound deadner.

You woudln't do anything with heat insulation there if you have the exhaust crossover preciselly on intake to heat the engine quicker

[HeavyFuel]

That's interesting stuff.......thanks guys. 

Tappets sound deadener?  Who the heck can hear those above the mucho big motor noises and the fat pipes making all of that racket?

[max]

  humm, looks like i just learned something new. i was told years ago it had to do with heat sheilding the intake.
good job guys.

[Headrope]

I've found that engine temperature does go down once the sound deadener and the sheet metal flaps that hold it in place (keep the spreaders) are removed. In doing so air can flow between the valley pan and intake manifold, basically creating an air gap manifold effect - 1960s style.

[Ghoste]

And yet Edelbrock advertising would make it seem that their engineering genius only recently devised this. 

[Headrope]

Dodge was ahead of its time.
Here are pics of what I'm talking about. I'm running and Edelbrock Performer right now, but the concept worked with stock manifold too.

[Headrope]

... and from the front (no, my engine isn't really pink. It's just the camera)