Spacer on new manifold
#2
03-08-2001, 07:25 PM
Junior User
Spacer on new manifold
Hi all. I have a ? for you guys. I finally saved enough money to change my 71 390 over to 4 barrel. I went with Edelbrock Performer w/ a 600 manual choke carb. I was looking at my engine to see what all i needed to put this new manifold in. My question is i have a coolant spacer under my carb. it has coolant flowing through this and also this is where my pcv hose hooks up to. My new carb has the pcv hookup on it. Can I just hook up the pcv hose to my carb and leave the spacer or do i need to cap where the hose goes? Or should I just leave the spacer off and hook my heater hoses straight up to the manifold. Do i need this spacer. To me i would think the exhaust crossover should be enough to warm up the carb. But heck im only 14 and pretty inexperienced. Thanks for any help your guys can give.
Richard Boyd
Richard Boyd
#3
03-08-2001, 11:40 PM
Spacer on new manifold
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 09-Mar-01 AT 00:58 AM (EST)[/font][p][font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 09-Mar-01 AT 00:43 AM (EST)[/font]
From reading hot rod mags, I get the idea of a spacer is two things. One is the extra space between carb and intake ports promotes more air/fuel velocity on it's way to the cylinder. The other idea is that it insulates the carb from the heat of the motor, allowing for a cooler denser (read better) air/fuel charge. I just read a comparison of several brands w/ dyno results. Some are made of aluminum, Phenolic material, some even are made of wood. Some are open, some have 4 distinct passages that supposedly promote velocity. As far as where to hook the pcv, It just needs to go to manifold vaccuum (not timed vaccuum). Pick the port in your spacer or the port in your carb, and cap the one you don't use. Do you live in a place thats real cold? If you don't I'd say skip the coolant going through spacer as I think that the heat from the coolant would kind of defeat the purpose of the spacer. Maybe I'm missing the point? I'm not racing so I have no spacer on my carbs.
BBT
Ps: I reread your post. I'd like to point out that I have a 390 w/ edelbrock performer 390 manifold, and 600cfm Edelbrock carb. I haven't used a spacer and one wasn't sold w/ either the manifold or carb. I have just a carb gasket between my manifold and carb. I have a fitting out of the top of the manifold that a heater hose connects to and a vaccuum opening that I have plugged because I'm not running either automatic tranny or P/B so I don't need a vaccuum tree there. Your carb has on the center front a manifold vaccuum port that I'd suggest using for pcv hose. On either side are two smaller ports, one is timed the other is direct vaccuum. On the backside is another manifold vaccuum. If you have power brakes, the brake booster will need manifold vaccuum, same if you have automatic transmission, you have a vaccuum modulator on it that needs manifold vaccuum. As far as timed vaccuum, typically that is used for vacuum advance on distributor. My speed shop guru who curved my distributor had me connect mine to direct vaccuum though for a better timing curve... he curved it so he'd know. Got a 390 to play w/ at age 14 huh? I was dreaming I'd have anything to drive at age 14.... I wouldn't have turned my nose at a Yugo at that age. Someday you'll look back at that 390 as an antique.... they are very old in design, kind of a dinosaur, I'm about to have mine rebuilt myself while I still can. Even the next generation bigblocks 429/460 are history at Ford. I'm waiting for the price of EFI conversions to come down. I'd love to have MPFI on my 390. The newer fuel injection has proven itself to be very nice in comparison to tempermental carburators.
From reading hot rod mags, I get the idea of a spacer is two things. One is the extra space between carb and intake ports promotes more air/fuel velocity on it's way to the cylinder. The other idea is that it insulates the carb from the heat of the motor, allowing for a cooler denser (read better) air/fuel charge. I just read a comparison of several brands w/ dyno results. Some are made of aluminum, Phenolic material, some even are made of wood. Some are open, some have 4 distinct passages that supposedly promote velocity. As far as where to hook the pcv, It just needs to go to manifold vaccuum (not timed vaccuum). Pick the port in your spacer or the port in your carb, and cap the one you don't use. Do you live in a place thats real cold? If you don't I'd say skip the coolant going through spacer as I think that the heat from the coolant would kind of defeat the purpose of the spacer. Maybe I'm missing the point? I'm not racing so I have no spacer on my carbs.
BBT
Ps: I reread your post. I'd like to point out that I have a 390 w/ edelbrock performer 390 manifold, and 600cfm Edelbrock carb. I haven't used a spacer and one wasn't sold w/ either the manifold or carb. I have just a carb gasket between my manifold and carb. I have a fitting out of the top of the manifold that a heater hose connects to and a vaccuum opening that I have plugged because I'm not running either automatic tranny or P/B so I don't need a vaccuum tree there. Your carb has on the center front a manifold vaccuum port that I'd suggest using for pcv hose. On either side are two smaller ports, one is timed the other is direct vaccuum. On the backside is another manifold vaccuum. If you have power brakes, the brake booster will need manifold vaccuum, same if you have automatic transmission, you have a vaccuum modulator on it that needs manifold vaccuum. As far as timed vaccuum, typically that is used for vacuum advance on distributor. My speed shop guru who curved my distributor had me connect mine to direct vaccuum though for a better timing curve... he curved it so he'd know. Got a 390 to play w/ at age 14 huh? I was dreaming I'd have anything to drive at age 14.... I wouldn't have turned my nose at a Yugo at that age. Someday you'll look back at that 390 as an antique.... they are very old in design, kind of a dinosaur, I'm about to have mine rebuilt myself while I still can. Even the next generation bigblocks 429/460 are history at Ford. I'm waiting for the price of EFI conversions to come down. I'd love to have MPFI on my 390. The newer fuel injection has proven itself to be very nice in comparison to tempermental carburators.
#4
03-08-2001, 11:45 PM
Spacer on new manifold
If you intend to keep the spacer you will need to plug the old PCV inlet (or use it and plug the one on the carb). Personally, I'd ditch the heated spacer and opt for a composite spacer or wooden spacer. These materials conduct less heat, thus keep the air gas mixture cooler which produces more power.
#5
03-09-2001, 02:59 AM
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#6
03-09-2001, 07:02 AM
Spacer on new manifold
Richard, I have that setup on my truck except I used the 1406 elec. choke. I wouldn't want that nasty looking spacer on top of that nice looking metal. Just run a new hose along side of the return one to the heater core. If you don't have one it would be a good time to add a shut off valve in the line to stop the flow to the heater in the summer.
I am not sure about the value of the spacer.
John
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66F100s Rule
In the cool still quite of night you can hear chevies rusting away.
I am not sure about the value of the spacer.
John
jowilker
[link:www.ford-trucks.net/users/jowilker|Club FTE since 01 01] My FTE Page
[link:www.ford-trucks.net/users/jowilker/NCFTE.html|NC Truck Owners] NC Ford Truck owners group
66F100s Rule
In the cool still quite of night you can hear chevies rusting away.
#7
03-09-2001, 10:00 AM
Spacer on new manifold
On my instalation of 1406 carb to Edlebrock manifold....
Edlebrock Recomends to use a `spacer/adapter`(4hole type)....
The problem with my combination is that the `sides` of the manifold is too thin to seal the underside of the carb.
If you turn the 1406 over ther is 2 areas near the throttle shaft that will leak out. Gaskets will not seal against the manifold!! AKA vacuum leak!!
Ok, I originaly had the `water heat spacer` on my 390 ...I have removed it with the manifold/carb setup and don`t miss it at all.
__JOHN__Õ¿ö
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Santa Rosa, Calif.
72 F-250
ICQ#6030753
http://www.ford-trucks.net/users/jbhf250/
https://www.ford-trucks.com/pictorial/big/1972_f250_2.html
Edlebrock Recomends to use a `spacer/adapter`(4hole type)....
The problem with my combination is that the `sides` of the manifold is too thin to seal the underside of the carb.
If you turn the 1406 over ther is 2 areas near the throttle shaft that will leak out. Gaskets will not seal against the manifold!! AKA vacuum leak!!
Ok, I originaly had the `water heat spacer` on my 390 ...I have removed it with the manifold/carb setup and don`t miss it at all.
__JOHN__Õ¿ö
FTE Club #7
Member-
http://www.cruisin-north.com/
Santa Rosa, Calif.
72 F-250
ICQ#6030753
http://www.ford-trucks.net/users/jbhf250/
https://www.ford-trucks.com/pictorial/big/1972_f250_2.html
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#8
03-10-2001, 10:34 PM
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Spacer on new manifold
Just wanted to add my 2 cents about the spacer, I believe they where added to prevent carb iceing in the winter and when you slide the temp control to off it also shut the flow down to spacer, which on one of my trucks the carb seems to iceing up when in fog and the air temp seems to be around 30 to 34 , Now that have change to 600 Holley and 390 Street master intake ( single plan) with 2 in alum spacer, Unsure now how it will act. But would sure like to hear more about which spacer would be best or if I need one. Velocity Stack would be nice but 2 inchs to tall Just my my 2 cents
GWB
GWB
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