Ok, Next Question - Swirl Plates for '82 - keep or remove

[cinci5]

Should I keep or remove, what have you done ? :confused

 

[Evolution1980]

What are swirl plates?

 

[cinci5]

swirl plates

What are swirl plates?

They are at the bottom of the intake manifold, under the throttle bodies, on the crossfire to mix the fuel, kind of like a tornado. Some peolpe have taken them out, others have not. I will be tearing down shortly so I am considering takeing them out if they make a differance. I thought I would ask others.

 

[Phill's Vette]

I have always heard to leave them in but don't remember why??

 

[wishuwerehere82]

How about modifying them?

http://www.swko.net/~lionsden/crossfire.htm
They add value in creating a vortex inside the manifold, which keeps the fuel/air charge in a columnar flow. Think of it as a little tornado jumping around from intake port to intake port. But for added high speed flow, you can cut the throat back to increase the volume of air.

 

[Evolution1980]

They add value in creating a vortex inside the manifold, which keeps the fuel/air charge in a columnar flow. Think of it as a little tornado jumping around from intake port to intake port. But for added high speed flow, you can cut the throat back to increase the volume of air.

Hmmm...I dunno. Is it the same theory that was tested in this Popular Mechanics article from 2005?

You guys can draw your own conclusions.

 

[Buccaneer]

If your going to keep the motor stock or even slightly modded and run the stock manifold, leave them in there. They are to keep the fuel from puddling or in other words, keep the fuel suspended/atomized. The items in that article are for in principle the same as the CF vanes, except you install the other generators before the air cleaner to create a vortex effect which IMHO is worthless, the air is already in a turbulent state once it hits the air filter anyway on the other side and you are not creating a "more" turbulent effect by doing that. Now if you were to do that on a CF over the top of the each TB directly "after" the air cleaner...then that may be a different story, since you would be creating the vortex directly down the TB and into the manifold and would keep the fuel in a more highly atomized state which creates a better AF mix and better burn. GM had the right idea I think, but gave up on any further development with the CF since it was going away for the FI motors.

You could always go to another manifold like the X-Ram, but I don't recommend that on a stock motor.