Edelbrock Performer Intake Manifold

The Performer will raise the carb about 1.5". Here is a pic of a Performer, Weiand Stealth, and stock intake manifold:



To see if you will have enough clearance with your current flame arrestor, put some clay on the arrestor and close the motor box. That will let you know how much room you have to work with.

There are some low profile arrestors out there, but it can be difficult to find one with the fittings you need (1/4" fuel line and 5/8" breather). They do exist, though.

Another option would be to reduce the height of the carb spacer. If needed, I may replace the 1" stock spacer with a 1/2". You would just need to plumb a fitting in for your PCV line.

Or, if the engine box doesnt shut, you can just prop it open with a piece of wood. Lots of options!

Im running the Weiand. Its a little more aggressive and reportedly has better midrange power. I never installed the Performer, so I cant give a first hand comparison. Im very happy with the Weiand, but there are many here who run the Performer and have seen a nice improvement.

TRBenj, how does the boat run out of the hole with the spacer on the aftermarket intake? I have the edelbrock but left the spacer off. By the way, I took my arrestor apart and cut 1/2 inch off with a dremel tool a rea$$embled.

83, I have no driveability issues with the manifold/spacer. Even with my more aggressive cam, it idles at 600 RPM and does not stumble out of the hole.

MM, I notice you have the PCV plumbed into the manifold itself- any issues with that cylinder running lean? Any issues with your throttle cable binding? I raised the bracket so it mounts closer to horizontal.

jbear..New years was great, Im going to post some pics under(happy new years) an intake and a motor dress up kit and yours can look just as good, check out (summit)

TRBenj...no it dont run lean. I think I do need a new cable, and i need to get rid of oil cap and put the hose back on! I have a new holley 130gph fuel pump and I want to put a K&N flame arrestor,and a air vent handel, and a 750 double pumper(mech secondary) a good way to bolt on 30hp!

[QUOTE=jbear]

"Summit"....is that a parts place?

Yeah..its not just a parts place, its the candy store of parts!
Give it a look(summitracing.com)

Jbear, Summit has just about anything you could ever want and their prices are usually the best around. Ive had good experiences with them.

MM, Im a little confused- why the big power gain with increased fuel flow? Are you currently running lean? Ive asked here before about the vacuum vs. mechanical secondaries and the resounding preference was for vacuum. Can you give us any insight?

TRB...Why are you running that spacer? my motor dont run lean at all,it runs great! The PCV is to relieve block pressure, the higher the RPMs the more pressure you will have! On a stock motor a 600cfm carb is fine, the vacuum secondaries open slower, then the mechanical secondaries and the 750 has more CFM. CFM is
(cubic foot per-min) of air-fuel mix. The 750 will give you more acceleration and top-end horsepower

My boat runs 53-mph with a stock, cam , heads and prop.          

At this time next year I will have it running 60mph, thats my goal.

MaddMarxx wrote: TRB...Why are you running that spacer? my motor dont run lean at all,it runs great! The PCV is to relieve block pressure, the higher the RPMs the more pressure you will have! On a stock motor a 600cfm carb is fine, the vacuum secondaries open slower, then the mechanical secondaries and the 750 has more CFM. CFM is (cubic foot per-min) of air-fuel mix. The 750 will give you more acceleration and top-end horsepower My boat runs 53-mph with a stock, cam , heads and prop.           At this time next year I will have it running 60mph, thats my goal.

MM, Im not concerned about your motor running lean in general- I have been told that plumbing the PCV directly to the manifold may cause that one cylinder (looks like youre tapped into #4) will run leaner than the rest. Have you ever done a plug check?

If you dont like how fast your secondaries are opening, why not switch out the power valve? Im using a 7.5 and it opens at the same point as stock (with the 6.5). Not sure where the advantage of a double pumper comes in for a ski boat.

I would think a 600 CFM carb would be more than sufficient for a 351w unless you stroke it. According to this carburetor CFM calculator (and others like it), even a motor with 100% volumetric efficiency will only need more than 600 CFM if you run past 5900 RPM. At a more realistic 92% VE, you can run up to 6400 RPM before you need a bigger carb. If I were to get a new carb, Id go 750 too- it sure wouldnt hurt anything. I would think that gaining 30 hp from the swap would be unrealistic, though.

GottaSki wrote: BTW the PV has no effect on the actuation of the secondaries, one needs to change the diaphram spring.

That'll teach me to post before having my morning coffee. Not sure what I was thinking, as the PV is on the primary side. Thanks for the correction!

79nautique wrote: good luck with the 60 mph. stock 351 and 53 mph in a SN please blow smoke up someone elses a$$. Why remove the spacer,, another stupid idea, it's not for the PVC it's to add horse power by means of better fuel atomization before entering the cylinder. oh well, if you added a larger carb and did not change anything else your not realy doing anything, unless it was already undersized to start with, 30 hp increase a little far fetched because your not flowing anymore gas thru the cylinders, cam lift hasn't changed or the duration or the piston size or the valve size. Your ideas on HP gains are far fetched bullsh*t most of the time. this being one of them.

Translates to---
Leave the 600 where it is-post more pics of blondgirl-beer and boats

MaddMarxx wrote: I never said my motor was stock , just the cam and heads are right now, but not for long..

Obviously youve got the Stealth and an newer Mallory distributor... you hiding anything good under those valve covers?

Mark, guess who's back?????? was kinda quiet, there for a while i thought he lost intrest in all us dummies............ boat dr

Tim, my money says the RRs will fit under those vc's, as we just put a set of FRPP 1.7's on a 302 with lower old style vc's. But after installing them and conferring with several real motor heads, I think my money may have been spent elsewhere in terms of HP on a 5200rpm engine, but I got swayed by the add'l lift of the 1.7 vs stock 1.6 ratio, FWIW.
MM, while 60 is a lofty goal, I think it's reachable, but with something approaching 400 HP I'd bet. But a nice cam and alum heads (or equiv irons) along with what you already have will get you close. I'm working towards that same plateau so keep a look in your mirror.

One thing to keep in mind is that our ski boats are not designed for high speeds. They are instead designed for pulling and tracking a straight course through the slalom buoys. They do a great job at this but at the sacrifice of speed. Even the barefoot boats which come equiped with big block engines just barely break 50 MPH. If you are going to try to get 60 MPH out of your boat you will probably need more than engine mods. With your mods you'll be able to yank the tow rope out of king kong's hands but your boat will still only run about 46 to 50 tops. And that's with everything just right. Just my 2 cents.