Hood clearance Question

-

Speedy Pedi

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 20, 2022
Messages
90
Reaction score
59
Location
nj
I have a 1967 Barracuda and am setup with a 1407 Edlebrock carb. with Airgap manifold and was thinking about using a carb spacer but with engine not installed yet I don't know how tall and for that matter if there is a particular type that would work best with my engine. Reason for considering is the common issue of fuel boiling off in carb.

Set up of my engine:
2002 360 Magnum
750 CFM Edelbrock carb. mech secondary
Airgap intake mild porting
Ported Cast iron Magnum heads Stock valves
Comp Cams 900-5,200 RPM Operating Range 210/220 Duration at .050". 112 Degree Lobe Separation Angle 0.512/0.512 Valve Lift
Stock Compression
 
The Air Gap Intake does a pretty good job of
keeping the carb cooler by itself.
A 1 inch phenolic spacer should fit under stock
Hood with room for a decent size Air Cleaner.
 
Agreed- the Air Gaps do a pretty good job of isolating the carb from heat. (Kinda the whole idea of an "air gap" design- to keep the runners/fuel charge and carb cooler...)
 
So is a carb spacer an overkill? Hmmm am I over thinking this whole thing then?
 
I think I agree with @GTX JOHN when he says the spacer may not be needed. I have a 69 Barracuda with a 340 built to about 375 HP. It has an Air Gap and an Eddy carb, and I don't have any fuel boiling problems.
 
367 here with Eddies, an AG, and a 750DP.
In run my cooling system at 207*, and run unwrapped TTIs.
No boiling/no percolation; at least not in the short term.
I run a one-piece 3/8 fuel-line from pump to carb, isolated and free-standing off the engine, but still runs in a similar to the factory route. At the back, near the tank, I have installed a large metal-canister EFI filter. The 3/8ths supply line is routed inside the frame rail.
A common trouble spot is the rubber jumper from the tank-sender to the hard line. My solution is to double-clamp it on each tube, staggering the screw-heads 180 degrees. This prevents the pump from sucking air, thru the pinch-lines.
Air trapped in the supply line from pump to carb will present very similar symptoms as fuel boiling in the line. When you shut the engine off, the air will travel uphill to the float valve, and accumulate at the trailhead. As soon as the float valve relaxes, the air will scoot into the bowl. If/when the modern crappy fuel evaporates from the bowl, you will have a long crank-time until the pump refills the line.
An electric fuelpump would cure this; but I hate those things on the street. My HD Carter pump was new in 1999, and seems to still be working fine.

To be fair, Here in Manitoba the daytime highs rarely exceed 99 degrees, and very rarely for more than several days in a row.

To be truthful, in about 2005, I cut a hole in my hood and mounted a nice aftermarket aluminum air filter housing, on top of my hood. Then I sealed my carb in a box to the underside of the hood. I did this NOT because of fuel troubles, cuz I had none. I did it cuz the underhood air temp was often running way over 300* and everybody knows you can't make power sucking hot underhood air. I just thought you should know, before some clown on FABO tells you.
Modern gas is made up from many different compounds. Some of those evaporate at or near 100*, others need over 200*, others even higher. The low-temp ones help for starting. The high-temp ones won't even become flammable until under compression.
When you shut your fully warmed up engine off, Immediately the lighter compounds begin to boil off, then the next, and the next until you have nothing left but the syrupy stuff., and your engine will not start on thatchit. So you gotta crank until the pump delivers some better stuff. But if that better stuff was stored in the gastank for a week, or the car has been in the hot sun all day, guess what, the good stuff is gone. So there you sit, cranking and pumping the pedal, with your fingers crossed.
The only cures I know of are
1) is to seal the fuel system, and collect those lighter compounds, for a later burn or
2) to put something into the fuel, to bind some of those lighter compounds to some heavier ones, to help them hang around a lil longer. or
3) to carry a small bottle of fresh fuel, on board, in my case, under the hood, at all times. After my car has been sitting for several days I just splash some of that bottled-gas into the cold intake, and hold the throttle down a bit, as if I was doing a clear-flood procedure. When the engine fires up, I just keep the Rs up until the Fuel-pump has brought up some fuel from the tank, then it's business as usual.
 
Last edited:
That's all good info from people who have 1st hand experience with A Body cars. This is a father son project and want car to be trouble free as possible for him. I like the suggestion of double clamping fuel supply line, as I'm using a Holley red electric fuel pump. I was planning to mount on rubber isolators to reduce noise.
 
The air gap intake, be it an Edelbrock or the Chinkanese version, will have the exhaust cross over in the center blocked. That will cut down on the heat under the carb and the open area underneath can only help. At most, I would use the 3/8 insulator type gasket as suggested by @TrailBeast .

:thumbsup:
 
With the air gap, I'd consider running a fresh air line from the core support to the area under the carb, if I was that worried about it, but any heat soak issues you have are going to occur at slow speed anyway, where a spacer is of limited value in your configuration anyway.

If fuel boil-off is that much of an issue, try buying 100% gasoline, or buy gas from somewhere else.

My first bit of advice, though, would be to build it and see if it's really even a problem, first. Don't worry about bridges you're not going to have to cross.
 
I'd also consider the three-nipple fuel filter as suggested in Mopar Action


This allows fuel to cycle back to the tank, so the fuel remains constantly cycled with cool fuel from the tank. People forget that fuel filters can percolate fuel too.
 
So is a carb spacer an overkill? Hmmm am I over thinking this whole thing then?
Just my opinion.... Is it needed? nah. Overkill? absolutely not. If you have one and it fits, run it. If not, you'll be fine without it.
 
The car is a Father Son project and on the bucket list is to get through a Hot Rod power tour, without too many issues. What I remember of last power tour was plenty of cars cooling system, vapor lock issues, ignition system failures, and car thefts in Tennessee. I really want this to be as reliable as I can for my son. The response from FABO members sharing they're experiences of what worked for them has just been awesome!
 
Your Air Gap will not allow you to close the hood. I have the same setup as you and I have an Edelbrock carb with a 5/16" gasket and I had to use a drop base air cleaner and remove the insulation from under the hood.
Mancini Racing fixed me up on the drop base and chrome top.
 
Put the engine in the car with the intake and the carb with a paper gasket, and your air cleaner and then measure the clearance using a wad of putty, then figure out what will fit under the carb. None of this stuff is precision built to start with and your car and K-frame are now 50+ years old...
 
Thanks everyone for their recommendations, thought about it over night and leaning towards:

1. Clay to determine hood clearance and decide what phenolic spacer might fit.
2. Installing fuel filter/Vapor separator used on 72-78 B bodies
1716050251463.png
index-php-action-dlattach-topic-51219-jpg.jpg
 
Last edited:
I put my cell phone on the inner fender apron while recording and got a good indication of how much room there is to spare. You could stand a tape measure on edge for a more accurate idea.
 
If you find a source for the separator, could you post it here???
 
Thanks for the link! Do you have to have a charcoal canister or something to take the separated vapor?
 
-
Back
Top