The recent addition of a Holley 390 4bbl (w/ Clifford intake & EFI exhaust) was everything it was hyped to be. The horsepower & torque increase throughout the RPM range is impressive.

Because of the underhood configuration, I had to be creative with the air cleaner - it took a while to come up with something that wouldn't hit the heater housing.

I finally bought a 2" adaptor to put between the intake and carb. That raised the air cleaner up enough for the lip to clear the heater housing.

I had tried to remove the 4 hole (1/2") 4 bbl adaptor that came on the Clifford (got it used) before I installed it - but it appeared I might damage the intake as someone had used "super-something" to attach it - maybe epoxy...???

Anyway, I ended up just putting the 2" (open) adaptor right on top of the 1/2 " (4 hole) adaptor - so now I have that 1/2" x 4 hole "restriction" between the carb and the intake.

And so my question - Should I go back in after that "restriction" plate - or leave it alone? It doesn't seem to have much negative effect - & if it is it is minimal/theoretical. Any thoughts on leaving it or removing it?

 

I would leave it alone, just because it is a pain to take of the intake (if you had to). I run a small 10?inch air cleaner with a very tall element to stay away from the heater box. How do you like 3.50's 31's and no overdrive. I have overdrive now, but my tranny just died so I am going to toss it and get a BW/np435.
I would think that 2 4 hole plates would be better then an open then a 4 hole, but I don't know how much it would really matter. I think that it is one of those trail and error things that may or may not act like they should when you figure it out on paper.

P.S. does your intake have water passages in it? My offy does not, and I had to put in a heated spacer off of a 390, or my carb would freeze up even on mornings that were not reall cold.

 

The only thing I DON'T like about my Bronco right now is the paint job. I'll be hitting that forum soon. I did a bunch of repair work around the fender wells and need to get on with dressing it up. I've always been the kind that cares more about how well a vehicle runs, not how well it looks. It is currently something of an eyesore, with the original two tone look & a couple of colors of primer thrown in. It'll probably get new paint this Summer.

The engine work I've done works great with the 3.50's & 31's. The Borg Warner T-18 is every bit as strong as the 300. I wish Ford/someone made a strong 4 speed without the Granny 1st that would bolt right in. Anytime I get in a jam, I can drop the transfer case into low and have all the torque I need. A while back there was a post about the torque for a 300/ 4 speed in low range - it came out around 15-20,000 foot pounds in granny.

As for the adaptor plate, it has been my inclination to leave it alone unless someone has a strong argument against it. The 2" open adaptor was all I could find and it bolted up nicely. Mostly I was worried about damaging the intake as the 1/2" plate was REALLY stuck on there.

I dont have any water heat in the Clifford - I figured I might have to wrap a copper coil around the 2" plate and divert water from the heater line if I have a freezeup problem, but haven't had to yet. I also thought about rigging a cable to the air cleaner so I could manually divert warm air into the inlet horn. I have the cleaner off a '79 F 150 351 2bbl and it hooks right in to the stock "cool" air setup.