Aftermarket Intake/head combos?

302 coupe said:

edelbrock heads don't make as much power as most other aluminum heads, but they are good pieces none the less.

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which is why mine have a date with a CNC machine.

The Autolite carb is fine for a typical 289. So feel free to keep using it. It will mount to almost all intakes also, so that's not going to be an issue. I've run both a dual plane Edelbrock Performer and a single plane Torker 2 intake on my 302 in the 68 coupe. I'm kind of old fashioned with my 68 and I've always liked the Eddy intakes, especially for the money. Mine has a Holley 600, but the Autolites are good.

You might already know that the dual plane will have better street manners and be a little easier to run smoothly. However, it wont flow as much air as a single plane. The longer runner lengths allow it to have a better torque curve down lower in the power band. Personally, I like the single plane paired with a nice gear ratio +-3.70:1 and a good cam. The small blocks like RPM and don't make that much power down low.

If you don't want to spend alot of cash, get a good aluminum intake and a used set of late model 5.0 heads. Port and polish the heads. Install 1.94/1.60 valves. Can't remember the cc of the E7 heads but you can have them slightly milled to get the compression numbers back up. Pair these up with a cam that matches the rest of your combo, and you'll have some fun.

Good luck. Mike

E7TE heads nominal size is 64 cc. You'd have to mill the crap out of them to reduce them 10 cc to a 289 size. The minimum Ford recommends milling without getting into fitment problems is .040, and that will just get them to 58 cc. Do some chamber work and that'll open em back up again a couple cc's. If you DO , do a rebuild , piston choice is critical......... Not all flat top 289/302 pistons are the same. Pin heights vary from 1.585 to 1.610. And that on a 302 makes a half point difference in the C/R. Even more on a 289. The old pop ups would be the thing to run in a 289 with 64 cc heads.

What kind of gears and trans do you have? Have you considered swapping the cam at the same time?
Ebock heads have heli-coils in all the bolt holes which is cool, but you can get better performing heads for the same price.

Don't rush on making your decision, do your research. That's a lotta coin.

Whatever you get will be a big improvment over stock.

My thanks also for serving

I'd recommend the AFR 185's and the Edelebrock RPM Air Gap or Stealth intake. The 185's maybe more than your motor needs now but at least you can grow into them when your rebuild your 289 or go stroked.

Maybe others can chime in if the 185's would be detrimental, otherwise you can go with the 165's which would be ideal today but your growth would be limited.

Robdogg67 said:

I'd recommend the AFR 185's and the Edelebrock RPM Air Gap or Stealth intake. The 185's maybe more than your motor needs now but at least you can grow into them when your rebuild your 289 or go stroked.

Maybe others can chime in if the 185's would be detrimental, otherwise you can go with the 165's which would be ideal today but your growth would be limited.

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Growth is really not limited with 165's. My Canfields are the equivalent of 165's and worked great on the 331. The powerband was a more usable and bottom end (rotating assembly)friendlier 1500-6500 rpms, even with a Z303 roller and 1.7 rockers. Bigger heads, bigger cams, just move the power band higher up the rpm scale and that shortens the engine's life span.

D.Hearne said:

Growth is really not limited with 165's. My Canfields are the equivalent of 165's and worked great on the 331. The powerband was a more usable and bottom end (rotating assembly)friendlier 1500-6500 rpms, even with a Z303 roller and 1.7 rockers. Bigger heads, bigger cams, just move the power band higher up the rpm scale and that shortens the engine's life span.

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I had some guy tell me I really missed the boat by putting the RPM Performers and the RPM Air Gap on my 351W when I could have put Vic. Jr. components on it. I replied that this was first and foremost a street car and I did not want a car with a power band that didn't start until 3500 RPM and that I had no plans to ever spin my stock crank to 8000 RPM. He gave me this condescending look like I just didn't know my ass from my elbow and just chuckled the chuckle of the dumbass and moved on. I was like, "thanks for the tip."

Well with some people, it's all or nothing when it comes to parts selection. Then they wonder how someone with "less" beats them. I had my Canfields on a 5.0 shortblock before the 331, with less cam ( B303) and a Vic Jr. intake topped with a Holley 650. Powerband was from 3000-7500 rpms. The block withstood that for about 3-4 months till it split a cylinder wall. I was surprised by the lower powerband on the 331, with my choice of the "Z" cam over the "B", but it turned out to be a better choice because of the lower powerband. The dual plane 3x2 helped there too.

For the money, a set of trickflows and a performerRPM intake with a 4100 on top would be nice.

If the budget allowed, a set of AFR165s or maybe the new CNC'ed Trickflows (they look mighty tempting ) would be even better.

I'm not a fan of the Edelbrocks, but they seem to clean house when they're ported

jerry S said:

I had some guy tell me I really missed the boat by putting the RPM Performers and the RPM Air Gap on my 351W when I could have put Vic. Jr. components on it. I replied that this was first and foremost a street car and I did not want a car with a power band that didn't start until 3500 RPM and that I had no plans to ever spin my stock crank to 8000 RPM. He gave me this condescending look like I just didn't know my ass from my elbow and just chuckled the chuckle of the dumbass and moved on. I was like, "thanks for the tip."

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You'd be surprised how well the 351 rotating asseblies hold up. The rods and crank are fine for some good rpms. I am going to be taking mine to 7500, hasn't gone above 7000 yet since I am breaking it in. It is a little lurchy down low, but man when it hits that powerband, it is like the car coming to life and ready to kill, feels like turbo. Nothing gears won't fix, that is partially due to the 2.75 open rear. Once I get the 4.30's in there, should transform the car completely. 1st gear goes to 70mph with a freaking 5-speed right now. Heh Heh Heh.....