Why arent the bowtie intakes aluminum?
Made mostly for marine manufacturers. Volvo Penta uses it in huge #'s. Merc on just a few different engines. It looks like Hardin also used it.
We use it for restricted rules (ie: cast iron intake rule) all the time. Again, it's a great intake.
If you want to knock off some heat and keep the exhaust pulses from going from one cyl to the next, use Fel-Pro 1204 intake gaskets. They have solid metal shields that block these passages off. Will have to remove choke.
One step further - even though this intake a has a metal heat shield under plenum in lifter valley area - you can install a Moroso or Canton lifter valley heat shield. Keeps hot oil from further heating up intake. Not a real big deal, but we do it of course in the race motors where every little thing helps. These only fit over flat tappet lifters - not hyd rollers.
BTW: Cast iron is more resistant to getting hot than aluminum. Yes, they still get pretty hot, just not as much.