Thread: Which intake should I go with?

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I've been debating between the Edelbrock Performer and the Edelbrock Performer RPM Air Gap. I have an 85 Monte with a rebuilt 350, 270 cam, 3.73 posi, and holley 600 and I do plan on racing it soon. Which intake would be best for me? One is built for idle - 5500rpm and the other is for 1500-6500rpm plus some kinda special "air gap" feature for improved performance.

Go with the air gap. With the cam you have, the Performer would make the engine a pooch.... The air gap makes for a bit cooler air/fuel charge which means more power...

Dave has the correct answer for you. Both the Performer and the RPM are mis-named.

The Performer should have been called "The Pooch" and described thusly:
Aluminum replacement manifold for lightening up the front end of your car and providing maximum carburetor to hood clearance.

The RPM should have been called "Street Max" and described thusly:
The best aluminum high-rise, dual-plane manifold available for making power from idle to 6000 rpm's on a street/strip motor. For making power from 6000 to redline, use a single plane intake manifold with a camshaft to support it, for instance on a circle track motor where you want to make power from 5500 to 8500.

Not being a chebbie guy I wasn't sure, but I know on my (Wonderful) Windsors, can't make any respectable power past about 5500 RPM with a dual plane intake.... I've had good luck on the street with the single planes and a "turtle" in the bottom of the plenum..... Don't know if it's the answer on sbc's or not????

My experience is that the tip-over point is around 6000 if you're using the right heads and cam. A RPM will make more hp and torque idle to 6000.

--and the Stroker Windsor's seem to only work with the single plane----and the power comes in at a lower RPM----is this a charachteristic of the longer arm, or just the intake to make the cam work right???? Same thing happen on the chebbie strokers?????

You guys know anything about the Performer RPM Q-Jet? I have an adaptor with a Edlebrock 650

Generally speaking, I've never really seen carb adapters do anything but mess up the air flow unless they are VERY carefully matched to the manifold top and carb base... They also mess up the velocity due to the venturi they create........ But, I do know that intake works good with a Q Jet, or the Holley spread bore 650!!!!!

it works fine but would like to replace it with something else

If you have an RPM Q-Jet intake, bolt a 750 or 850 Q-jet on it and you will have, in my opinion, the finest carburetor/intake combination there is for the street. Tiny little primaries for excellent mileage and throttle response coupled with humongous secondaries for when you rug the throttle and the carb goes B-WAAAAAAAAAA.

Yuppers!!!! A properly set up and calibrated Q-Jet is still one of the best street carbs on the market.....especially seeing as how you already have the correct intake.....

Originally Posted by techinspector1

If you have an RPM Q-Jet intake, bolt a 750 or 850 Q-jet on it and you will have, in my opinion, the finest carburetor/intake combination there is for the street. Tiny little primaries for excellent mileage and throttle response coupled with humongous secondaries for when you rug the throttle and the carb goes B-WAAAAAAAAAA.

I was told for this engine that a 750 would be too much...???

Originally Posted by 1983_prostreet_

I was told for this engine that a 750 would be too much...???

With a square bore carb, it might be but with a Q-Jet, it would be just right.

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

With a square bore carb, it might be but with a Q-Jet, it would be just right.

but im not running a q-jet though...its a 650 edlebrock w/ a q-jet intake and an adapter

We understand that. We're saying toss the adapter and bolt on a Quadrajet. You're the one who said you wanted to change it, so change it. Here's your words...."it works fine but would like to replace it with something else".