1958 Super Red Ram HELP
Will the early Hemi Intake manifolds fit the early Poly's?
Yes, they will. All of the poly engines used the same intake manifolds as their respective Hemi engines. Only thing you have to keep straight is the deck heights.
For example- I have an Offy 4 barrel intake on a 270 poly. It's sold as a 270 hemi intake, although it will also fit 241 hemi's and the 270 poly's.
It won't fit a Dodge 315/325 though, because they have a taller deck height. But a 315/325 hemi intake will fit a 315/325 poly. It does get confusing, because you can use the 315/325 heads on a 241/270 for the larger ports and valves. The heads are the same externally, like using 360 heads on a 318. You'd still use the intake from a 241/270.
Same for the Chryslers, sort of. A 301 poly can use a 331/354/392 intake. And that last one is where it gets weird. The 392's had taller decks, but they added extra material onto the intake side of the head so the intakes were the same regardless of the deck height (unlike the Dodge's). Unless, of course, you put 392 heads on a 301/331/354 block, in which case you have issues. Or, if you put 301/331/354 heads on a 392, because then you need spacers for the intake. The latter is pretty popular, because a lot of folks think the '55 331 heads were actually the best one's made. So, you end up with '55 331 heads on 392's, and then you need intake spacers. Or to run log manifolds like the 6x2's or 8x2's, doesn't matter on them, you just need longer hoses to connect the logs.