Ok then, so the take-away from the last couple of pages is:
Don't let me go away from this thread too long, or it gets filled up with pictures and links to engines and cars, (related to the current project,.... or not) and sewing machines dating back to somewhere in the paleolithic era.
And after taking all of the input/contributions/comments into account,
This is what I've decided to do:
The Sewing machine thing is definitely out. Just like the machine gun thing, The 80's K.I.T.T. wanna be dash, and a whole bunch of other "What tha's" that our head care taker offers up as advice in this build. I'm really starting to wonder about the assortment of "Don't push" buttons Noobz puts in the flight simulators that he has a hand in building.
![O_o :O_o: :O_o:](https://cdn.stangnet.com/data/assets/smilies/O_o.png)
I'm gonna put a common plenum "sandwich" in between the TB's and the Head. There are several concepts I'm working on...
#1. "The box".
Just like it sounds,...it'll be a box, (or it could be a tube) probably angled up to provide a common plenum. One plate side mounted to the head configured at the 4.08 port spacing, the other plate side configured for the E46 TB's. Little notches cut in at the top of the box to allow the injectors to clear. I'd radius the opening on the head side to look like Dean's MR2 box.
Eliminate everything else in the pic....Just the part with the copper spacer would make up "The box".
#2. "Holy Tubes in the box Batman!"
Way more involved. The box seals the individual tubes on both mating surfaces. The tubes keep the individual relationship of each TB mated to each port intact, except somewhere (top, side(s), bottom, all around),.. each tube has a hole(s) in it to allow for the commonality of the open plenum.
#3. "Linked tubes". AKA the "outtie box"
No box,....individual transition tubes to allow for the bore spacing differential,..but has similar sized tubing linking each tube together..Vacuum taps plumbed between each port tied together with hard lines like a nitrous fogger system providing one common vacuum port for the MAP sensor to read off of. Does what #2 does externally as one sealed piece.
By far, #1 is the easiest to duplicate,....I could make something like this in a day. I'm wondering how impacted the benefit of having the individual TB's would be if I sandwich a box in between for the sake of the MAF.
#3 would be the second easiest to build, but will it work? It'll still have the same common plenum that the box has,(albeit smaller) but keeps the relationship of the individual TB/port intact. I also think as a finished product,it would look better than a box....(Not to mention the cool factor that fogger looking hard line vacuum tap would add). The curiosity pops up as to whether or not it solves the reversion/common plenum purpose adequately?
I looked at my head....Excepting the 1" port matching, It is completely unmolested. Although I did some bowl work and smoothed the transitions of the port to the valve seat originally,...I took this head after that to the machine shop where they assembled everything. Looking into the respective ports does not come close to looking like anything was ever done.
I need to deal with blending the guide bosses, and pay more attention to the transitions to the valve seat area. (w/o phcking up my existing valve job) The exhaust port has a rather large bump on top of the port roof...wondering what happens when you put an aluminum burr to that? (Pay attention here Dean)
The objective here is to not ruin an irreplaceable head...From what I'm reading from you, I'm gonna be able to get what I'm looking for (250whp/300rwtq) just by judicious and careful guide boss/bowl blending work. I'd just as soon not attempt raising the intake port roof, but I wonder how in the hell a 1.7' valve gets it's air through a 1.39" cross sectional port?
Raising the roof also affects the shape of that port at the entry point, which directly impacts my choice for how to mate the TB's to it. An oval, or egg shape isn't as easy to accomodate when trying to get a curved piece of 16 ga tubing to fit that form. But......
I'll do what I need to do.