Reply to "intake questions"

> Okay, this may sound kind of dumb, but when you look at ratings for intake
> manifolds they list an rpm range. For example the edelbrock performer lists
> the range from idle to 5,500 whereas the torker 351's range is 3000 to 7000
> rpm. Is this the rpm range they are designed to run best at?

Generally, that's the case but there is no standardized testing
and different intakes rated in the same RPM range can perform
quite differently.

> Any recommendations between the two or other manifolds?

I don't care much for either intake in modified Pantera applications.
The Performer is a copy of the earlier Edelbrock F-351 which is itself
basically a Ford dual plane intake with smaller ports. The smaller
ports are meant to increase low end torque and throttle response,
particularly in heavy vehicles with automatic transmissions, stock stall
speed convertors, and tall gears. The Performer and Offy Dual-Port are
good truck and big sedan intakes. The best things about the Performer
is that it is aluminum and low profile (practically the same height as
the stock Ford intake). If you think your Pantera has poor low end
performance you may want to consider a Performer, otherwise there are
better intakes. For most street performance Panteras, the Blue Thunder
high rise dual plane is an excellent intake. They also have a version
without cant angle at the carb pad for Panteras. Marino at Panteras
East stocks them as does PPC in Colorado. Marino has a web page at:

http://www.mapenterprises.net/pe/1024x768/main.htm

but I don't think PPC is online.

The Torker is an open plenum single plane design meant for mid and high
RPM performance but it's just not that good an intake. The Blue Thunder
will usually beat it across the rev range. For an engine that needs an
open plenum intake, I favor the drag racer's favorite Holley Strip
Dominator. There are also some single plane race intakes from Australia
and the similar Ford Motorsport intakes for high port heads can be
used. If you choose an open plenum intake, you may want to consider a
carb with annular boosters. These boosters are more sensitive to low
vacuum conditions and will improve driveablity. Likewise an MSD multi
strike ignition will help cold start and low RPM performance with an
open plenum.

The main problem with the Blue Thunder and Holley Strip Dominator is
that they are relatively tall and may not fit under a stock engine
screen. Here are some A and B measurements of 351C intakes I've
measured:

Edelbrock F-351 & Performer 2V/4V 3 1/2 4 3/8
Weiand Xcelerator 2V 4 3/16 5 1/8
Holley Strip Dominator 4 5/16 5 3/8
Blue Thunder 4 7/16 5 3/8
Ford aluminum 4V 3 1/4 4 3/8
Offenhauser 360 4V 3 1/2 4 1/2
Weiand tunnel Ram 9 1/16 9 3/8
base only 6 1/4 6 1/4
top only 2 3/4 3 1/8
Motorsport A351 (Roush) 6 3/4 6 3/4
A331 (Edelbrock version, not Roush) 4 3/8 5 5/16

> If your engine is fully built-up with a fairly radical cam & a big carb
> etc and you enjoy running it above 6000 for long periods with no regard
> for tickets or gas mileage, an open plenum type intake is for you.

Not all single planes are created equal. One with a moderate sized
plenum and runners will work very well on the street. On my Aussie
headed motor I run a Weiand Xcelerator 2V single plane and it pulls
5th gear from just off idle, is very smooth in it's power delivery
and gets 20 MPG on the highway with a 735 CFM Holley. Makes a bunch
more power than Edelbrock Performer 2V with no driveability issues.
A friend did a back-to-back intake manifold between the Edelbrock
Performer 2V and the Weiand Xcelerator 2V on his street Mustang which
had a mild 351C with open chamber 2V heads. With an Edelbrock Performer
2V, it ran 14.80s shifting at 5500 rpm. Switching to the Weiand
Xcelerator 2V, with no other changes, put the car into the 13.20's.
That's a huge difference and shows the Performer was really choking
the engine. I don't care much for the Weiand Xcelerator 4V version
of that intake though. It's a worse dog than a Torker on a 4V headed
Cleveland. I've not tried it but I'd be willing to wager the Xcelerator
2V would work better on a 4V than either the Performer 4V or Weiand
Xcelerator 4V.

Speaking of 2V intakes, there's a new high rise, air gap dual plane
available from Australia (Torque Power Manifolds). See:

http://www.users.pipeline.com.au/tpm/f-dual.htm

Note that the price on the website is in Australian dollars. It's about
$550 in U.S. currency.

Dan Jones