The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 4 barrel on stock intake.

I have a stock 235 with a single carter.
I was looking at my intake manifold and it looks like it could be machined to accommodate a 4 barrel, it even has dimples where 4 barrel mounting holes would go.

I use a machine shop in town for work and they would probably do it for me pretty cheap.
Can this be done, and has anyone done it?

Thanks,
Bill

Sounds like a cool experiment ! If you can get another intake (just in case), i'd say go for it! If your 235 is stock, how much air can it take? You may over-carb itunless you have a small 4-bbl. If you plan to mod the engine, then you'll need more air anyway.

I was thinking a 2bbl would probably be better for my application, since its stock.
I don't know as much as I would like to. I've only been messing around with these trucks for about a year.

I believe that you can get the engine to run with just about any carb/manifold combo, however I feel that the stock manifold does not flow well enough to take advantage of a 4-bbl, even a small Holly 390cfm. Plus, after you hassle with fabbing up a new linkage you might as well upgrade the intake manifold at the same time. A Carter/webber 2-bbl would probably work better if you want to keep the stock manifold.

i always liked the look of the triple side-draught carbs

Back when on the nearby circle track,the guys who ran GM 6's used to invert the intake,cut out the bottom and all the dual walls for the intake heating passages.Make an adapter,block off the now on the bottom original carb port,good to go.The manifold is tilted the wrong way,but it worked ok.
I have enlarged the stock opening to an oval shape for a Holley 2300 two barrel,ya wind up breaking through into the area heated by the exhaust.I welded up the holes ,ground them smooth,added a home made carb mounting plate.It's not all that difficult to do with bachyard mechanic tools.Doesn't seem to be room to open the top for a 4bbl.It's my opinion ,390 Holley 4bbl is overkill for a street 235,you can get the same power with a Holley 350 CFM 2 bbl(a 350 2 bbl actually flows about 280 cfm when rated like a 4 bbl).And like I have said before,the Holley 350 will out perform and get the same fuel mileage as those butt ugly over rated Holley Webers.

truckedup...will that Holley 350 work on a stock 235? Just looked at them on their site..wondering what other simple mods I might have to do to get it to run right..Thanks

I have tried several combinations of carb/ manifold setups on 235s. My favorite from a drivability and plain cool looks is the offy 2 carb setup using 2 progressive Carter/Weber 2 barrel carbs. This is a very nice setup for trucks with only mild modifications to the fender brace rod. The setup comes with electric auto chokes. Set this up with an HEI distributor and you will think you got yourself a late model fuel injection engine. Just turn the key, hit the starter and she starts instantly, no hesitations and great fuel economy.
Got my setup from Langdon's Stovebolt, he is good to deal with.
See my setup http://www.stovebolt.com/gallery/hartman_terry_1954_01.htm

Shooper,the carb will work as is,it's the stock manifold that needs mods.A Clifford manifold can be used for 2 or 4 bbls,but the runners are large for a mild engine.It will work,but a smaller runner intake like a modified stock one works better.
What I'm suggesting is a low budget performance upgrade,buy a Holley 2bbl on Ebay,the ones with 1-1/2 throttle bores,manual choke, from older Ford or IHC small V-8's.Rebuilt it with a genuine Holley kit,about 18 bucks.Buy a stock intake,modify it,make a carb mounting plate from aluminum,phenolic or even dense hard wood will work.
Then take a stock oil bath aircleaner,cut out the bottom,roll out a length a 20 guage sheet metal to fit the 5 inch Holley airhorn,soldier or braze or weld or even epoxy it onto the aircleaner body.
Figure out the linkage, you're good to go.
You done it all old school,made it yourself,and it works great,instead of bolt on stuff,you used good old American ingenuity

When I bought my 48, it came with a bed full fo extra parts including some rusty old heads with the intakes and mainfolds still installed. I have about four of these combo's and have thought about making my own two carb setup out of a combination of these. What I was thinking was to block off the existing mounting plate and cut the intake pipes and splice in the carb mounting plates from the other intakes. I would do all the welding with the intake solidly mounted to one of the old heads to prevent warpage. I used to be pretty good at welding cast iron, and this sounds like a fun project. A single four barrel would even be easier. What do you think?
Ralph

i like it, but i would do three singles, one in front of each runner. that would be a sweet setup.

HAH! sorry, i find a coincidental situation. i am planning on doing a 3x1 intake, just as 1-ton said. 3 intake manifolds, 3 carb mounting areas, 3 runners...the numbers make perfect sense. and if i'm right, i can use the middle runner as the end runners, and not have to worry about the stud holes for the manifold, if i use a farily stock exhaust, with the mounting system, etc.

glad to see i'm not the only one out there with such jair brained ideas...or maybe thats "American ENGINE-uity".. :p

.later days.
.desperado.
.sam.