Intake manifolds

[tayto]

Cliff, this may seem like a silly question but when doing back to back intake tests would you put a bead of silicone on the Chinawall each time or just use a cork/rubber gasket that everyone throws out?

[Cliff Ruggles]

For Chevy engines yes, I use silicone to glue down the factory type gaskets front and rear, then apply a small film of automotive paste wax as a release agent.  I also use the Felpro blue intake gaskets, glue them to the heads, and use car wax so they come right off as well.  It works quite well and rare to have gasket issues replacing the intakes in the pits.

For Pontiac engines it is a LOT easier.  The water crossover is separated from each intake.  I bolt down a water crossover to hold a pair of Felpro blue intake gaskets in place plus a small bead of RTV.  Car paste wax on the gaskets and I can swap intakes back to back in a couple of minutes in the pits and never have to worry about leaks or having to replace the gaskets.

I do the same on top of the intakes, glue down a carb gasket and use car paste wax on top of it so the carb lifts right off without taking some gasket material with it.

I've tested half a dozen intakes at the track on private track rentals.  We usually take two cars and try to get them all tested on both.

I've taken as many as 8 carburetors to the track for back to back testing.  One outing we tested four Q-jets, a Holley 4781-2 850DP, a custom built HP 950 Holley, and an Edelbrock Thunder Series AVS.

Did spacer testing as well, in conjunction with intake testing. Tested a four hole, fully open, fully divided and semi-divided a recorded all the results.  It's a LOT of work to do this sort of thing, starting with having a car that dead-hooks on the launch and will run the numbers so you can compare results.........

[Cliff Ruggles]

I guess I could put up a few threads on the results of carb, intake a spacer testing. 

Problem is that some folks who believe all the BS they read in the magazines, and/or attempt to evaluate or test everything "by the seat of your pants", or even worse believe all the propaganda associated with some of these parts......they will NOT like the results.

Typically this is followed by them getting their panties all wadded up and the Googling in vain to find someone who agrees with them starts.

Then the rude comments, and efforts to pick apart your test results like a black bird picking corn out of cow chit.

I try to avoid that sort of thing, but as we've seen more than once on here it's difficult to avoid.

One thing I will say about testing parts, is that IF you evaluate parts on the street by the "seat of your pants", then go to the track thinking the new part is going to run a LOT quicker, be sitting down in the seat of your car when you gander at the time-slip......because EVERYTHING changes when you find good traction!!!.........FWIW.......