I have a 318 with a mild cam, headers, 1406 600 cfm eddy carb, performer intake, and #302 casting heads that bring my compression up to around 9:1.

My question is: has anyone seen any real results when using a carb spacer on a setup similar to mine? I see ads that claim a hp gain of 10 or more but what can i actually expect? I don't race, i just drive on the streets and like to drive it like i stole it occasionally. So im thinking about buying a 1" 4 bore spacer.

Is this just a hit or miss kind of thing where i just have to try and see which one works best? I dont have access to a dyno or drag strip.

 

It's hit and miss, I'm not sure you could feel 10hp seat of the pants anyway. It'll keep the carb cooler if you go nonmetallic and if it clears your hood that's reason enough for me to try one.

 

74 -

Don't think I've ever seen a spacer not help, unfortunately the exact gains are variable.

First any spacer will keep the carb cooler. Even 1" aluminum spacers can drop the temp by 5 - 8 deg.

A one hole spacer will increase plenum size and should help top end.
A four hole spacer should increase low end torque. (This can really help if your carb is slightly over sized.)

I generally don't like the wood or phenolic spacers, given the chance of warping.

Archer
The only down side is hood clearance.

 

i've always considered one of these, as well, but never installed one. i have looked into them pretty extensively and have decided they can't hurt; they only help.

 

iam not a race engine expert. but frome what i have seen spacers are for very high air speeds, ie race engine.

 

Yeah I wasn't sure if they are only for race engines or not. After a little research I found that the 4 bore ones help the low end out, like archer said. But if my intake is a performer which is a dual plane intake that Is already good for low end torque, will I see any more gain with the 4 hole spacer?

 

74 -

The idea behind the 4 hole pacer is that it helps straighten out the air flow from the venturies. Therefore it should help with any manifold type, but again, how much or how noticeable are the questions.

I figure the slight cooling, better air flow, and better clearance from the engine, plus, it just looks cool , why not??? They are cheap enough and pretty straight forward to install/remove.

I felt a noticeable difference in torque on my 440, but YMMV.
But please be sure to check hood clearance, before you slam it down...

Archer

 

Yeah ill check the hood clearance with soft clay or something. Well i just want to get over the 300 hp mark haha. I know it'll be close if im not already over it now but i could use the extra 5-10 hp and extra torque. This is probably a dumb question but what does low end torque feel like? Is that just the get up and go/ throw back in the seat? or is it more just snappier and more responsive?

 

74 -

Snappier off the line, better low end throttle response - basically it will pull harder.
IOWs, easier to light up the tires...
Again, how much you feel in the seat of your pants, is harder to say, since each application is different.

Archer

 

i'll definitely be doing this to my ramcharger.