Engine Carbureted Intake Advice

Bainbridge Bob

New Member
May 12, 2014
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Finally pulled my bone stock 85 GT out of storage and the rear carb bowl sprung a leak on first start, ended up with a small barbecue. Luckily no paint or wiring damage, but the rats nest of emissions tubing at the back of the motor roasted.

Rather than replumb all of that crap I'm ditching the 4180 emissions carb in favor of something more normal, either a Holley street avenger or a 4160. I'm also considering replacing the factory intake while I'm at it to squeeze a little more out of the setup.

This is a street car that is mainly used for my wife to take to cruise ins, so driveablity is key. Has anyone out there used one of the dual plane manifolds like the Edlebrock Performer or Weiand Street Warrior in place of the factory unit and gotten worth while performance improvements? I've got other hot rods to play with so no need to get too radical on this one. Yet.
 
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The other thing to take into account is what rpm your cam operates best in. Example: For my engine rebuild I have a B303 cam and its advertised power band is from 3000-6000 RPM. I went and looked for intakes that either flow best through that rpm band or flow great over the entire range from idle to 6000 RPM. Just a way to make sure that you are matching all your parts characteristics and taking a systems approach to it. If you are using the stock camshaft then I would imagine using an intake that operates best from idle to 6000 RPM would be your best bet.
 
Good advice GoldenEagle91.
To answer the question directly, I used the Edelbrock performer (5.0 or RPM?) with
EGR and a Holley 1850 with electric choke. I had a nasty cam and rhodes lifters so it idled near stock. It got about 25 mpg on the highway and still beat Camaros. Highly recommended, until I killed the SROD tranny.
 
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not sure if you'll notice much power difference from an intake swap without swapping the heads too...the factory ford intake is an aluminum unit that I've heard is very similar to an early edelbrock piece... However I've had a lot of luck with the weiand stealth intakes.

The street avengers are problematic, nothing but issues with mine too...spend the cash to get a better carb.
 
Now you mention it, the 1850-2 that I ran was a swap meet find I rebuilt. The last Holley I bought new had a smashed o ring on the primary needle float and a plug that leaked on that bowl. Not cool to pay extra for a shiny finish and get two defects!
 
The 750 cfm will be offset by the vac secondaries. So unlike a double pumper, it should be driveable and tuneable.

But the OP will be happier with a 600 cfm vac secondary on a stock 85. It should need less tuning, has a better match to the max cfm needed, and should get better cruise mpg. For tuning, a quick change kit for the secondary spring should be a required upgrade. Your carb may come with it from the factory.

DO NOT buy the clear plastic fuel bowl plugs! The heads pop off and then you have a fuel leak. They are a fire hazard!