which manifold would you use?

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Valvebounce

Valvebounce

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I'm throwing together a low(ish) buck 318. I have the 396 heads,(Lame small port ones) but they've had 1.88, and 1.6 valves fitted to them. I've bought an xe274 cam, and the block is .040 over.

Problem is the inlet manifold. I'd kind of like to keep the small port heads to retain strong velocity, but the LD4B seems a bit thin on the ground. I'm spoilt for choice when it comes to the availabilty of inlets for the larger port heads. But that means porting the heads, and I don't want to kill the bottom end responce too much. Plus my budget doesn't extend to a stall converter (yet) so I'd hate for it to be a pig of the line. I have a pair of 28X10.5X15's and I have a 4.08:1 rear end. (If that makes any difference?) I was also planning to deck the block to get the comp up to 10.5:1.

So do I hang out till til I find an LD4B, or just bite the bullet buy a later manifold and port the heads out?
 
Adding in the info of tire size and gear ratio is great. Most people will leave it out. Info like this is not overkill. It is info that should be added in for a brighter and fuller picture of the issue at hand. Well done.

IMO, It'll not be to bad outta the hole. You'll need a converter to get up and going. Converters stall higher with additional torque inputted to them. The OE converter will not stall enough for this combo.

Between the need for a converter or a different intake, I'd go with the converter.
If you have a LD4B, keep it and port the head to match it. You will not kill the botom end. The converter will put you where you need to be for the combo and the ported head will allow the power to get where it needs to be.
 
Run the edelbrock Performer 318/360 p/n 2176. You'll make more usable power keeping the intake matched size-wise to the heads.
 
rumblefish360 said:
If you have a LD4B, keep it and port the head to match it. You will not kill the botom end.
Click to expand...

I don't have an LD4B, but I'd like one as it'll match my heads without porting. Plus (going by the cam selection guide in my PAW catalog) that cam is getting near (Or slighly over?) as big as I should go with the heads that I have. Another manifold I actualy do have is a stock (earlyish) 318 iron 2bbl (single plane) one, which has been mille out and had a four barrel flange adapted to it. But it lacks any real flow enhancing characteristics. (as well as being a heavy SOB)
 
I agree with the Performer. You can find them cheap, the ports match, and you get plenty of low end grunt.
 
No I haven't yet, but I will next time I'm over at the workshop. They'll just be the standard 318 ports. Thats almost all we have here. Last pair of J's I saw for sale were $500, and there need completely overhualing.

Since my last post, I took a look on Ebay, and the performer is cheap as chips! I got a family member with an Ebay account (I've never had one, on account of being half a world away) to bid on an LD4B last week, but it sold for $305. Based on what I've read here, I had thougt that it was only the older (NLA) manifolds that had the 318 size ports? (Hence hoping to get LD4B) I did also see a couple of manifolds that looked like ancient predecessor to the performer. (the model of them escapes me right at this moment)

But given the advise I'm recieving here, I'm now leaning towards the performer. Plus they're cheap! And since I have to also pay for freight to get them down here, cheaper isn't going to hurt any.
 
I don't know what a "NLA" is, but the LD4B is the intake before the Performer. Both are very good with an edge to the Performer since it is updated and the intake that replaced the LD4B, it should be better. No sense putting out a new product that doesn't out perform the older model...right....LOL

Cheap as chips
Click to expand...
Bwa ha ha ha ha ha, Ohh, that's goooood!
 
Spreadbore and Edelbrock has a flat plate for an adapter. I really don't know if it'll bolt on and go without it.
 
I think a Holley will bolt on. The Performer should have 2 sets of bolt holes, one for spread-bore, and one for regular. What carb do you plan on running? I've had good luck with the edelbrock 1404 .
 
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