Why would block off plates be a big concern? It is/was a fairly common practice. No idea where the sand would come from, one guess would be the intake was blasted at some point and not cleaned that well after.Boy, that would be enough for me to tear the engine down and see what else is going on inside.
Chrome plating can cause hydrogen embrittlement. The sheet metal covers don't look all that thick but they would still have a shim effect that could cause stresses there when the bolts are torqued up. It would't take much of a step there to cause a crack on an old part like that. Especially if its one of the early ones that were kind of frail anyway.
The sand is aluminum oxide, IMO.
Just a guess, but moisture from exhaust entered through opening one side combines to make a corrosive mess.
I bought an intake from a well known vendor that had a hole between the heat riser portion and the vacuum of the intake. It had a similiar appearance.
With that much corrosion, I would replace it. Now
Karl
Chrome plating can cause hydrogen embrittlement. The sheet metal covers don't look all that thick but they would still have a shim effect that could cause stresses there when the bolts are torqued up. It would't take much of a step there to cause a crack on an old part like that. Especially if its one of the early ones that were kind of frail anyway.