Sealant for 355 intake plenum halves?

The 355 reached the 5 year mark so the engine came out a few weeks ago and I'm getting a little work done each weekend in the hopes of having the car ready for driving season next spring. The intake plenums are off and separated for cleaning. I was a bit surprised to find silicone sealant between the upper half of the chamber and the gasket (nothing between the lower chamber and the gasket). Anyone know if this is how they did it out of the factory? I suspect not, but was hopeful others who've worked on these before might know. Of note, last winter I smoke tested the intake while chasing a slightly abnormal fuel trim which ended up being the result of a leak where 'Y' shaped air delivery tube meets the 1-4 bank intake sleeve (5.2 motor). No leaks were noted at either plenum at that time.

On a related note, the paint on the fins were a bit scratched up so I taped them off and refinished them. A bit tedious of a job but I was happy with the end result. I'm kicking myself for not taking a 'before' photo as the improvement was quite remarkable. I found Duplicolor Engine Enamel with Ceramic DE 1615 to be an exact match (https://www.amazon.com/Dupli-Color-DE1615-Ceramic-Aluminum-Engine/dp/B000B68V9A)

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Thanks Ken, very helpful!

 

I appreciate the responses everyone. Looks like they'll be reassembled with sealant then. For anyone else who searches the topic in the future I'll add the gasket part number: Ferrari # 153381 (same for both sides: https://www.ricambiamerica.com/car-diagrams/ferrari/v6-v8/355-group/f355-m5-2-1996/air-boxes/153381-gasket.html)

 

Grazie!

Truth be told, I enjoy working on the cars more than I do driving them. After I got the 328 sorted a few years ago I got a little bored so I found this 355 knowing that it was going to need a major in a year or so thus giving me a new project to keep me busy. The only problem is that my wife gets tired of me bringing Ferrari parts into her kitchen for cleaning. She gave me all sorts of grief yesterday when she caught me taking photos of the intake plenums in the family room.

Wife: "Those better not have been in the dishwasher."
Me: "Nope, just the sink."
Wife: "Damn it! You know the kitchen is off limits to this stuff!"
Me: ". . . I forgot."

She got nervous last summer when she saw me making an engine stand out of a rolling hydraulic cart.

Wife: "Why does the engine stand thingy need wheels? You're not going to roll the engine into the house are you?!"
Me (with a straight face): "That's a really good idea. It gets cold out in the shop."
Wife: "Don't even think about it! I'm serious, . . . it's not funny!"

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Well there you have it. Thanks SoCal1. That will definitely result in some unmetered air getting in past the MAF and screwing up the fuel trim.

 

Thanks Dave. I was inspired by your custom engine stand and came close to fabricating one using your drawings, however, I liked the idea of the hydraulic variable. As you can see in one of the photos, I'm using a Max Jax with limited overhead clearance so I liked the idea of being able to raise/lower the cart if needed.