The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Fenton headers on 235

How would one heat the bottom of the 3835590 intake with original carb with hot air. Have a new 51 5 window truck, my old 49 has 32/36 with heat from radiator as per Tom Langdon. Thanks Bill

Esch Fenton exh manifold has a tapped hole to accept a fittinf and copper tubing to route to an after market heat plate that bolts to the bottom of the intake. Langdons sell's a hot water heat kit that can be converted to use hot exh gas.by changing out the fittings. There are other vendors that offer the kit with the threaded fittings, copper tube and fittings for the manifolds. Search CLassic Trucks, Carters and ebay.
Make sure to use dual fittings and not the single fitting plate..

yep, you can use exhaust heat or water heat. I have used none, exhaust and water heat over the years, water works better. You need heat to the bottom of the intake manifold to get the fuel to atomize properly, regardless of outside climate. Otherwise you end up with a little bit of a piggy in terms of rich running and fouling of plugs. Fentons, at least the style currently on the market, only provide the threaded bungs for tubes to the bottom of the intake for the heat. Its not all that efficient in terms of using exhaust heat. There are Fentons however that were cast with a stock style exhaust manifold heat set up but those are really pretty rare.

I have used water heat and exhaust heat with Fenton dual exhaust manifolds and an Offenhauser dual intake..

They both work fine.

The water heat works best if there is flow of heated coolant.
Some two-tube plates do not seal between the input and output chambers on the base of the dual-intake manifold.

The Offenhauser dual intake is the only repo one that I know of that allows water/coolant to flow from/into one end of the intake and then through the manifold and out the other side of the intake manifold (in/out at the base, using a correct-designed two-hole plate/seal). (Clifford might sell one, also).

I decided not to use coolant water on one of my 261s with dual carbs - I did not want to worry about a coolant hose/fitting leaks.

Many modern "repo" bottom plates are for one tube (one heat line to a plate on the base of the intake manifold - from from one of the Fenton exhaust manifolds) - there is no flow, just heat exchange. Works just as well with exhaust heat or coolant.

Exhaust heat also works fine with a 1960 261 on my 1954 Suburban. It has two exhaust tubes from the Fenton dual exhaust manifolds to a plate on the base of an original single carburetor intake manifold (two heat lines, for a balanced appearance).

My Fenton headers have small holes near the top. What are they for
Thanks
Frank

What Are the small holes on top of the Fenton headers
Thanks
Frank

"None of the above"- - - - -A stock exhaust manifold with a properly functioning heat riser system and a "split" exhaust works better than anything dreamed up by Fenton- - - -particularly the offshore repops that only look like the original Fenton manifolds.
Jerry

In reply to Frank’s question, the ports are for connecting hot exhaust gases through piping to provide heat to the intake manifold (original or aftermarket). Without this heat, you can expect poor performance at best.

Here is a link (not mine) to one of many sources for such a piping kit: Fenton Header piping kit

Years ago I installed the Fenton exhausts with an Offy 2-carb manifold. This is not the ideal configuration because one has to grind away some of the intake manifold to get the hold-down bolts to work.

Aside from that, I made a heat plate for the bottom of the manifold out of 1/4 inch stock with two holes drilled and tapped for 3/8 pipe fittings. With some more fittings and bits of copper tube I have a manifold heater. It has worked fine for twenty years except that I did have to tighten the fittings in the Fenton bosses and the plate twice. Assembly of the manifolds, gaskets and bolts takes at least three hands.

Have a nice day

I have a water-heated kit from Langdons Stovebolt in Michigan On my 1954.

This original thread is 4 years old. How do these dead threads keep getting resurrected?

Searchers find them and instead of making their own thread they latch onto the old one. No biggie except the OP is probably long gone.

Locking this thread. The resurrected question was answered. Any other questions need to start a new thread.