Reply to "2v or not 2v?"

Doug,

(It is Doug, right?)

I'm reading you have a stock 351C, you want to replace the carb & intake. There are three major choices at this point, a '70-'71 oem Ford intake with a 600 cfm carb, the Edelbrock Performer with a 600 cfm carb or the Blue Thunder with a 700 to 750 cfm carb. All of these intakes are dual plane intakes with an exhaust heat crossover. The early model Ford intake is identical to the one on your car, but allows bolting up a "non-spread-bore" carb and has no provision for egr. The Edelbrock intake emphasizes lower speed operation which is at odds with the power band of the 4V heads and in my opinion also at odds with the car it would be installed in (Pantera is a sports car, not a truck or sedan). However, that is just my opinion, many Pantera owners run this manifold. The Blue Thunder intake operates from idle to 7000 rpm & is a very good match for the big port 4V heads. The Blue Thunder raises the carb about an inch, but your car has an egr plate between the carb & intake manifold, which also raises the carb about an inch, so without the egr plate the net vertical clearance will be about the same.

some questions for you to ponder:
(1)do you have any further engine modification plans for the future?
(2)what air filter are you going to install with this carb & intake?
(3)would you prefer to improve low speed driveability or increase mid-range power?
(4)how much fuss are you willing to put into this project? some carbs require tuning to work properly, not necessarily tuned by you, but you will need to have a pro tune it for you.
(5)what is the budget?
(6)do you mind removing the exhaust gas recirc system from you engine?

We should get together in ventura some time after the holiday.

George