Four barrel manifold

[Smitty]

How good or bad is the aftermarket four barrel manifold ?

[UNSAFE]

You'll get lotsa opinions about the aftermarket center-mount 4 barrel so I'll be first ---

Don't do it ! The posible slight increase in top end power won't be worth the expense and driveability problems

Some people claim success with them but even when well tuned it's a long way from the carb to the intake valve . This can only cause a lag at anything less than WOT.

I think you will get better milage and driveability and likely as much power with a well tuned 4 X 1 barrel stock 140 set-up.

[Trip]

Opinions vary greatly but if your engine is anywhere remotely near stock I wouldn't do it. It's supposed to be a real pain to tune, and results in poor throttle response and terrible cold weather running even when tuned properly.

If you had a monster engine of some sort that was strangling to death trying to breathe through the stock carbs it might be worth it... but a monster engine wouldn't still have stock intake manifolds anyway =P

[Smitty]

Thanks. I have one that came with a parts car that I bought.

[Stinger Motorsports]

The main reason some people run them is that they don't know how to properly adjust and balance 4 individual carbs. Bolting on a center mount make the adjustments easier by only having one carb to adjust. The other big problem is that most people that install them put to large of a carb on them. The max you need even for a performance engine is 390 cfm.

The one thing that is necessary in order to make them work is to plumb hot engine oil to a heating plate under the carb. This heats the intake and keeps it from Icing.

But back to what everyone else has mentioned... they are not worth the time and effort for a stock engine.

David C
Owner
Stinger Motorsports
540 204 0917

[65Ragtop]

I agree with all of the above posts. The plenum, ram tube, plenum configuration of the aftermarket bolt on 4 barrel setup makes no sense at all. While the logic to use it for some is simplicity, it really is not so and was "in the day" more of a marketing technique in order to get people to buy them. You are really just trading one set of problems (carb synchronizing, sloppy factory linkage issues) for another set of problems (poor low end responce, leaking, poor cold weather performance, over carburation, etc.).

The tri port, 6 tube spider manifold/four barrel set up that does away with the stock factory plenums on the heads can work really well but is a bit more involved.

Stick with the 4 carb set up. There are after market linkage set up's (or build your own) that replace the stock linkage and eliminate 80% of the issues with the multi carb set up. Check out the Roger Parent linkage in the for sale section. I am using it and it is a high quality, well engineered unit that will make you smile. viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2800 Get a Uni syn or similar guage (or make your own) and getting the carbs synchronized will be easy. Problems with the 4 carb set up solved!

Sell the old centermount setup to someone building an aftermarket Turbo set up or something. They still have their uses.

[Smitty]

Thanks.

[JasonC]

I have one on my car and love it. In cold weather its finicky when its first just getting warmed up. It has a snappy throttle response. I got a 450cfm on it instead of the small 390cfm. But like the others said, you're going to get mixed reviews.