In `1976 I built a 12:1 Cleveland. It used the Shelby solid lifter cam (still have it in the shop) and initially the Edelbrock Torker.
I also ran that cs-Shelby intake. Both with a Holley 4779 (750dp).
That set up the car had nice power up to 4200rpm off of idle but at 4200rpm the tires literally would break loose from the pavement. 2" x 36" long "Pro-stock headers. 2-1/2 exhaust through real Corvair Turbo mufflers. Remember. This is '76. No Flowmasters yet.
Dyno numbers now show that the Torker is really a dog. You can not prove that by me. Car would run 12.1 with it.
Since this was in my 68 Shelby, didn't have the Pantera yet, I wanted to try the above Shelby manifold.
(Oh...got the Pantera in '85. Transplanted all the Cleveland experience from the Shelby into it, Webers and all.
"68 Shelby now has it's original 302-4v (Mangusta twin) except for the fully ported 1.94/1.6 heads, Trans-Am 2x4 high rise intake, solid lifter cam, and 347 stroker. Nothing is stock here. Ignore the big blue bottle of laughing gas in the trunk. You didn't see that, ok?
)Don't bother folks. 95hp more then what is what I want to know? Just the manifold change, no other changes. Car ran 14.1. No 95hp gain there.
You explain that to me? I explain it as, it is a very not good manifold. Perhaps Blue Thunder figured out what was wrong with it and fixed it?
That engine was an absolute animal with the Edelbrock. Go figure? Never heard of the Holley manifold then. Preoccupied with the Webers by then?
Oh. Sunoco dropped 260 (106 octane) gas soon after and went to 103 in the pump. Engine would shut off at about 4500rpm with it. Literally.
Changed the heads to the open chamber and it fixed the problem...except the engine lost a couple of hundred hp.
This is when my Weber saga started. About 1979-80. No Cobra intake manifolds for Clevelands though. Shoulda' bought the Detomaso setup. Was $780 complete plus shipping. Who knew?
Clevelands still show roughly 100hp more then the approximately equal displacement Windsors, I have run those too, still am.
No one will ever convince me a Windsor head Ford makes the same or more then a Cleveland, all things equal that is.
Th C is a good engine. It was a mistake by Ford to drop support for the entire engine series. Fortunately there is this solid group of irrational Pantera owners?