Is there a way to measure an intake manifold to see if it has been milled

Just wondering if anybody has a way to measure an intake manifold to find out if it has been milled or not? Turns out the heads on my 440 have been milled an unknown amount. I had an aluminum intake that I installed and the engine always seems like it has a vacuum leak yet I could never find it using conventional methods. I remember the bolt holes being hard to line up and get the bolts started but just barely off. I seem to be getting a very slight vacuum leak through a couple of the bolt and I believe under the valley pan. I have the original intake that came off of the engine and I kind of compared it to another Aluminum Intake I have and I don't see any real differences where the bolt holes are at the manifold is a different overall width but then again that's a cast iron manifold to an aluminum one.

So anyway good places to measure from or ways to tell if the original manifold had been milled or not. The engine was not running when I bought it so I don't know if it had a leak or not

Keep in mind that stock iron intakes can look alike, but different from a B (low block), to an RB (raised block). The 'spread' measurement for the bolt holes are farther apart for RB intakes.

But, past that...parts and pieces, besides milled parts, will make the difference whether the intake will bolt up correctly, or not. Your only real guide you can use, will be the distance between (left side to right) bolt holes on the intake, at the mating side for the heads. Compare that with the mounted heads bolt hole distance. Of course, milled surfaces, gaskets used, and so on, will have minor affect on that.

The bolt holes will line up, or not...then, need to find out why not, and if there's a fix...such as useable different thickness gasket, or that nature.

You cold measure across the bottom of the bolt holes but the difference would be in thousanths. Better to set the intake on the motor with no gasket. If the bolt holes are now centered remove the amount of the compressed thickness of the gasket. Still not centered? Cut the distance they are off center plus the gasket thickness. Say the intake holes are now .030" high with no gasket. remove the.030" plus gasket thickness. unless your removing .125" or more this measuring method will be very close.
Doug

i guess ill just have to tear it apart and fit the manifold to the engine.
i have the capabilities to measure into the hundreths so thousandths are no problem.

i found a picture of the heads and they have been milled enough to start removing the casting #. any idea how much that might be?

i didnt build the engine, it is a 1976 440-1 with small plug 452 heads that i bought off of craigslist that had 54k miles on it since rebuild, rv cam double roller chain, and aparently a little more than 8:1 compression ratio. but couldnt argue for the price i paid. it runs strong for a low compression smog engine

You could also remove the heads, and have the intake face of the heada milled so you don't go through this every time you change intakes. There's a formula for how much to mill. I think for every .010 taken off the combustion chamber side, the intake side is .0123. Don't hold me to that number. It's been a long time since I did this.

if im gonna pull the heads they will be replaced with another set. the vehicle they are in i have to remove the brake booster to even get the valve cover off