I've got two of Langdon's Carter/Webbers waiting to go onto my 261 when I get it back from the machine shop and receive the Offy from Patrick's. Several old truck 'specialists' around the country have argued pretty heavily that I ought to use Rochesters on the offy manifold or 4 bbl Holley on a Clifford's manifold.
This thread has been pretty interesting!
So far it sounds like the problems people are having with the Carter's are with the linkage and adjustments to the idle/choke/mixture. The problem with the Offy/Fenton set up seems to be heat.
The hot water solution from Langdon pulls water from the block before the thermostat opens, so the water should heat up pretty quickly and the electric choke should hold the engine until it does. Then you dumps the water back in to the same place it pulled it out. If you don't use Langdon's heat plate you would pull it out of the thermostat housing on the engine side and then put it into the heater RETURN line, so the heater control valve doesn't have to be open for that water to get back into the waterpump, unless I'm mistaken.
Patrick really favors using exhaust gas to heat the Offy manifold, but it seems to me that would interfer a little with the purpose of the headers, but it might be negligble. Exhaust gas would definately be alot quicker! Fenton made a plate and hose combo for using the exhaust gas and the instruction sheet said the 'pulses' of exhuast (from each cylinder?) would cause the hot gas to circulate.
Just a thought, but some 70s and 80s GM engines had a hose from the exhuast manifold to the aircleaner to suck heated air into the carb before it mixed with gas. Has anyone tried that?
The proponents of the clifford's manifold with 4 bbl holley say its a better set up 'cause you don't ever have to mess with it, which appears to be an advantage over both carter and rochesters. ALso, the Clifford manifold has a built in heat sleeve, so no heat plate to bolt in but you've still got to plumb the water.
Does anyone following this have any experience with the clifford/holley set up?
