1978 F-250 400 4-speed 1 ton axles

Need to freshen up an old 400 to put in my '78 F-250. I have an old 650 lying around and have been doing some research if it would be a good fit. I've found that it would be cheaper to put a 4 barrel intake and the 650 on it than to buy a 2 barrel. So to the point, I've seen a lot of people recommending the Edelbrock Performer 400, and I was going to go with that, but being budget minded I saw a Weiand 8010 intake for quite a bit cheaper on eBay and was wondering if anyone has had any experience with it? And if it would be Worth it over the Performer 400.
Thanks, Justin

 

Search is your friend,

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...anna-know.html

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...shoot-out.html

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ntake-wtf.html

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...b-upgrade.html

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-351-400m.html

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...e-quick-s.html

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-400-ford.html

just some of the threads I found when I typed "intake" into the search bar.

With that out of the way, I prefer the new China made Weiand. Its smoother and more rounded in the runners during transitions and has shown to produce a bit moretop end power than the Edelbrock performer. The Performer has more squared off runners and more drastic squared off transitions from plenum to runners. It also has smaller runners and produces a bit more low end torque. Either will work, so go with what's cheapest. The SP2P is a great manifold for a stock engine that's looking for some low end boost, but it will reduce top end drasticly above 4000rpm, many don't consider it do too the extremely small runners. On a modified engine you have pretty much one of two choices, Weiand or Edelbrock, both are good. The above threads will shed some more light on the issue.

 

Or if you're super cheap like me you'll find an old Offenhauser 360 Dual Port intake and run it. Wayyyyyy cheaper than buying a $300 intake and gives similar results for torque

 

True true, forgot about the Offenhauser.

 

IMHO forget about the Offenhauser. It is usually the poorest performing intake compared to whatever is or was out there for the particular engine. I have one for smallblock chevy and I cannot believe how twisted a path it is to get to the rear two cylinders. Read Steve Dulcich's intake manifold for the Mopar 383, it is available online for free. Out of a great number of intakes the Dual-Port ranks at or near the bottom. IIRC it also requires more jetting and I suspect fuel puddling is part of the problem. It is also not a dual plane intake. It is like two single plane intakes perched on top of each other.

R.

 

Just wondering how buying a 4 bbl intake and the gaskets to swap it onto the engine costs less than a new 2 bbl carb ? If you're looking for a quick and easy increase in power, just buy a 500 cfm Holley 2 bbl and bolt it on your 400.

 

That was his last post...… I don't see anything that would have run him off. Another "We'll never know..." thread.

 

Get a Weiand, they flow a little better than the Edelbrock.

 

And If I recall it had a little more "meat" around the ports to allow it to be ported to a 4 bbl head.

 

I don't think the Wiend will out perform the "Performer". Maybe better low end.

 

It's been a number of years ago that we were dynoing a good running 400 used in a mud race truck, we pulled the Edelbrock off and bolted a Weiand on for a 20 hp gain with no other changes.
These were out of the box intakes with not port work.

 

I'll stick with my USA built Performer, thanks. There is a story by Tim Meyer, I think, about which intake to use and from what I remember he said they weren't much different in output. But I can't find it. And, when Weiand made the switch of manufacturing facilities, people stood in line to buy the USA Weiands. This is why I don't believe the Chinese Weiand is that much better, if at all, than the Performer. I believe it's true that either of them are worlds better than a stock two barrel intake.

A two barrel carb flow is measured at twice the pressure drop as the four barrel. This means that the 500cfm figure must be divided by the square root of two, 1.414, to get equivalent air flow ratings. That Holley 500 would be rated at 355 cfm max.

R.

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...shoot-out.html

the second link I posted.

The Edelbrock is better for torque down low and the Weiand produces better top end. The exact numbers are in the thread above.

 

You don't understand air flow ratings then. Yes it's true a 500 cfm Holley is half of a 750 cfm 4 bbl. But if you're measuring airflow with a 4 bbl at WOT, then close the secondarys, the vacuum pull increases by double. When that happens the engine will pull more air flow through the primarys, in excess of half the rating at 3" hg. The primary carb on my 331 is rated at 250 cfm, but at WOT before the secondarys open, it's flowing 356 cfm.

 

Most 400's are never going to utilize the full potential of those intakes anyway, so the stock 2 bbl with a 500 cfm carb is plenty.