tallest intake 351W 9.5 deck in 66 with stock hood?

mtaqua

Member
Oct 7, 2006
345
4
19
What is the tallest intake that will fit without mods under a stock hood? What size air cleaner with that? My intake is 7.5 inches (CHI), and I am trying to determine if there is a hood that will work. If I can figure out the tallest intake, I can figure out how much more clearance I'll need.

Thanks,
Andrew
 
  • Sponsors (?)


You can get a Vic Jr. in there. Some guy on here has one on top of his 408. I believe he pulled out all the stops (drop base cleaner, drop mounts, tilting engine, etc).

You can get a Performer RPM or Weiand Stealth in there with less work, but they won't fit if the mounts and air cleaner are stock. The Air Gap is taller than either and I wouldn't make a gaurantee on that... fwiw, my research said that a Stealth is about .3" shorter than an RPM when all is said and done. Not sure if it matters or if the height #'s I was given by the manufacturers were even apples-to-apples comparisons but its all I could get my hands on.

Less aggressive single planes and Performers will fit without any mods whatsoever. In some applications the less aggressive single planes may be better for you than a higher-end dual plane like an RPM or Stealth.

I have a Weiand Stealth on my 351w in my 66. Stock 66 mounts. I originally had a drop-base air cleaner (the random one you can get anywhere from Pep Boys), with a 3" filter it wouldn't work. I subbed on a 2.3" tall K&N (same cleaner) and it worked fine.

Be careful with drop base cleaners. I bought one off summit and there's more to it than just how many inches the base is 'dropped', how tall the net height of the cleaner/filter are, etc. The one I got had the same size base as my original but achieved some extra drop with a totally flat top... which wouldn't clear the car (where as my original, with a slightly conical top, placed on the new dropped base cleaner, would). Basically, I had to mix and match my original cleaner with my new one (a TRD-2195 IIRC... )

Other tricks in your arsenal: 65 mounts are supposedly shorter than 66's by about an inch IIRC. They're also weaker, and probably not well suited to a high power build. There are also (again, supposedly) some aftermarket ones that are much stronger and still drop the engine some, but are very pricey.

I shied away from messing with motor mounts because a) it involves more work and money than air cleaner changes and b) because it does mess with your whole driveling geometry, which is important for me because I have a T5 which already has less-than-ideal geometry. The latter concern probably isn't as big a deal if you have a stock transmission or one you know has no issues with driveline angles (most 5 and 6 speed manual swaps do).
 
I have a Vic Jr on my 393w under a shelby hood scoop of my 65'. The scoop was grafted on for looks and is not needed for my Vic Jr. installation, although it does allow me to use a fancy air cleaner hold down.

Here is how I did it:

1. Drop the motor in the chassis as far as it can go. I used 65' pedestal motor mounts which puts the pan just above the tubular crossmember.

2. Angle mill the carb flange on the Vic Jr. You need to take .300 off the front of the pad and near zero at the rear. This lowers the front of the carb and makes this swap possible.

3. Use a carb that originally was produced without a choke. The bodies air cleaner flange is physically lower and you don't have to worry about the choke being in the way.

4. Modified a 14" drop open element air filter housing so it sits even lower on the holley.

With these mods I use a 2 3/4" high air filter element. It provides the desired minimum 1 1/4" filter base to top clearance.

After installation I have 3/8" of air cleaner top to hood clearance. To keep the motor from twisting and lessening the clearance, I use a torque strap to hold the motor into place. This has worked well with my 393w 4 speed street car--even at the drag strip using slicks the controlled torque keeps the air cleaner from hitting the hood.
 
My intake is 7.5 inches overall height (1.75 inches taller than a vicjr). Also, I am running a dominator (not sure if it is taller than a 4150). I was going to try to figure out what the tallest intake that would fit without mods then subtract the height of it from mine and that would tell me how much more clearance I'll need. I think I am going to wait until I put my engine in then measure to ensure I get enough clearance.

But compared to a Stealth intake I'll need around 2.5 more inches, probably 3 to be safe over a stock hood. At least now I know I am not limited to a 6" cowl induction hood. I wanted something either some sort of scoop or maybe a tear drop.
 
My intake is 7.5 inches overall height (1.75 inches taller than a vicjr). Also, I am running a dominator (not sure if it is taller than a 4150). I was going to try to figure out what the tallest intake that would fit without mods then subtract the height of it from mine and that would tell me how much more clearance I'll need. I think I am going to wait until I put my engine in then measure to ensure I get enough clearance.

But compared to a Stealth intake I'll need around 2.5 more inches, probably 3 to be safe over a stock hood. At least now I know I am not limited to a 6" cowl induction hood. I wanted something either some sort of scoop or maybe a tear drop.

Taller than a Vic Jr is going to take some magic on your part, but dennis (he was who i was talking about) would be the guy to talk to.
 
Perhaps this will help.

dia_meas.jpg


Unmodified Vic Jr for a 9.5" block is 5.75" tall at BOTH points A and B above.

The problem with installing a Vic Jr. under the hood of a 65/66 Mustang is at the front of the motor. Due to the motor installation angle (mine drops almost 5%) the front of the air cleaner is angled up and into the hood. There is plenty of clearance at the rear. An Edelbrock Performer RPM intake just fits under a stock hood and its dimensions are A 4.30" and B 5.30". The angle helps a lot.

I do not remember the height of the Stealth, but it is close to the RPM. Here is my modified Vic Jr next to a Stealth intake, both of which fit under my stock type hood:

Vicjrvsstealth007.jpg


Vicjrvsstealth006.jpg


Vicjrvsstealth005.jpg


Vicjrvsstealth004.jpg


Vicjrvsstealth003.jpg


Vicjrvsstealth001.jpg


Remember that I angle milled .300" off the front of my Vic Jr carb pad and brought it to near zero at the rear in order to lower the front of the air cleaner.

You can see my new A measurement and my new B measurement in the following pics.

Vic Jr front "A":

Vicjrvsstealth010.jpg


Vic Jr Rear "B":

Vicjrvsstealth009.jpg


With the new angle both dimensions will change compared to a stock intake.

As mentioned above, this angle is absolutely crucial to keep hood height at its lowest. Even with the .300" cut off the carb pad, I come the closest to hitting the hood at the front of the air cleaner. Actually, it isn't closest at dead front, but more like 5" to the left and the right of the front hood center.

I suggest measuring your A and B measurements and compare to one of the examples I mentioned above. Also, when doing your calculations please remember the other items that I mentioned in the above post. ALL were necessary for me to put the Vic Jr. under my hood. The Stealth (and an earlier Performer RPM) fit fine with just the 65' motor mounts and a chokeless carb. I didn't even need a drop base 14"air filter housing to do it, I used a standard 289 HiPo open air one instead at that time. If you do none of the items I mentioned, expect to add an inch or more to your new hood.

Hope this helps.
 
Perhaps this will help.

dia_meas.jpg


Unmodified Vic Jr for a 9.5" block is 5.75" tall at BOTH points A and B above.

The problem with installing a Vic Jr. under the hood of a 65/66 Mustang is at the front of the motor. Due to the motor installation angle (mine drops almost 5%) the front of the air cleaner is angled up and into the hood. There is plenty of clearance at the rear. An Edelbrock Performer RPM intake just fits under a stock hood and its dimensions are A 4.30" and B 5.30". The angle helps a lot.

I do not remember the height of the Stealth, but it is close to the RPM. Here is my modified Vic Jr next to a Stealth intake, both of which fit under my stock type hood:

Vicjrvsstealth007.jpg


Vicjrvsstealth006.jpg


Vicjrvsstealth005.jpg


Vicjrvsstealth004.jpg


Vicjrvsstealth003.jpg


Vicjrvsstealth001.jpg


Remember that I angle milled .300" off the front of my Vic Jr carb pad and brought it to near zero at the rear in order to lower the front of the air cleaner.

You can see my new A measurement and my new B measurement in the following pics.

Vic Jr front "A":

Vicjrvsstealth010.jpg


Vic Jr Rear "B":

Vicjrvsstealth009.jpg


With the new angle both dimensions will change compared to a stock intake.

As mentioned above, this angle is absolutely crucial to keep hood height at its lowest. Even with the .300" cut off the carb pad, I come the closest to hitting the hood at the front of the air cleaner. Actually, it isn't closest at dead front, but more like 5" to the left and the right of the front hood center.

I suggest measuring your A and B measurements and compare to one of the examples I mentioned above. Also, when doing your calculations please remember the other items that I mentioned in the above post. ALL were necessary for me to put the Vic Jr. under my hood. The Stealth (and an earlier Performer RPM) fit fine with just the 65' motor mounts and a chokeless carb. I didn't even need a drop base 14"air filter housing to do it, I used a standard 289 HiPo open air one instead at that time. If you do none of the items I mentioned, expect to add an inch or more to your new hood.

Hope this helps.




I'm diggin' the cast iron plumbing pipe and elbow! Looks like something I'd do !
 
  • Happy
Reactions: 1 user