Who is running a carb spacer?

[Peer81]

Hello everybody,

I find it to be awfully quiet overhere the last few months so I'm hoping everybody is still checking in so now and then. But on to the question.

I know there aren't much alternatives for the stock intake and the few that are there aren't that much of an improvement. With the limited room to the hood the only thing that pops in my mind is a carb spacer. My change I found this article:

Best Carb Spacer Cheap Horse Power - Popular Hot Rodding Magazine

So with some minor changes to the intake and adding a spacer (maybe 1" will fit with the stock intake?) it could make the engine run better giving some extra. Does anybody already have some findings? I would like to know

btw. I don't know how much space is left between top intake and the hood so maybe 1" is already to much? As I have some clay laying around I could check it of course

Greetings Peter

 

[Tom Bryant]

Interesting thought. I haven't seen anyone using a carb spacer with the stock intake. In theory that would lengthen the intake runners moving your torque peak down to a lower rpm and possibly increasing torque at the same time. That's assuming that the intake isn't already optimized for the L81 engine, which is unlikely. If you do it I hope that you find a chassis dyno and get a before and after reading with no other changes. Otherwise you will never know for sure if it had any real benefit. Like you said, the first thing is to put that ball of clay on the air cleaner to see how much room you have for a spacer.

Tom

 

[Tommy Almond]

Had one similar to this prior, maybe was 1/2" thick to try and improve the heat issue in the carb but later took it out since no change and they did not have these installed at the factory. I did not notice any different in power either but again all this was before I had the q-jet remanufactured by All American Carbs in Florida. Carb is perfect now and any heat issues I still have with fuel in carb is more related to the new fuel with ethanol added rather than just heat. With the ECM and CCC I do not know if the computer would make adjustment to the fuel meter rods anyway with the spacer. Long live the '81s.

 

[Peer81]

It's not really for my stock L81 but if I'm going to build a nice 383 the stock intake will return on the engine with the stock aircleaner. I think in that situation the stock intake is the weakest link in the system and a little change to optimize the intake will have some effect on the engine output.
But like I said, first play around with the claybar

Greetings Peter

 

[Peer81]

On mine the distance between the top airfilter and hood is 18mm 3/4". But this was without the engine running and I don't know how much the engine tilts when revving? I think a 1/2" or 5/8" spacer should be a possibility.

Greetings Peter

 

[jj_long81]

i thought about doing this when my carb was off but i would not do it with that aluminum one. i was going to rout out some half inch plates out of solid phonolic. it would not conduct heat as much as the aluminum and you could stack them to different hieghts. i had the idea as i was cutting allignment plates out of the stuff. just cut four squares and place solid steel round stock, cut to size, between them. then drive the rear end up on top of them. now adjusting cam is a piece of cake.