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| | | Forums66 Topics128,077 Posts1,055,928 Members48,430 | | Most Online14,466 Apr 26th, 2026 | | AD Chevy Trucks Over 6,000 pictures Brad Allen has an awesome collection of Chevrolet factory pictures that he has set up from film strips. Check them out!
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on the Internet for over 30 years! and not clogged down with Ads! Again, thanks! | | | | Joined: Mar 2005 Posts: 576 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Mar 2005 Posts: 576 | Alright,I'm gonna let my ignorance shine...I see these motors with the 1" spacers on the carbs....Whats the purpose of this...Had a guy say something about increasing low end torque...Is this correct ?.....dave 1949 Chevrolet 3100 "When this thing hits 88 miles an hour, you're going to see some serious sh%t." -Doc Brown
| | | | | Joined: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,897 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,897 | | | | | | Joined: Mar 2010 Posts: 9 New Guy | | New Guy Joined: Mar 2010 Posts: 9 | If I understand correctly it "straightens" the mixture out and takes some of the turbulence out of the mixture, giving you a more uniform charge of air/fuel. | | | | | Joined: Jun 2005 Posts: 1,756 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Jun 2005 Posts: 1,756 | I have one supposed to help low torque. I don,t believe that the mixture should be "straightened out. The roughness of the intake casting and ports assists the mixture vaporization. The spacer also reduces carb heat by transfer. Thats why they usually don't polish intake ports, only exhaust. | | | | | Joined: Mar 2005 Posts: 576 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Mar 2005 Posts: 576 | sorry....SBC...................dave 1949 Chevrolet 3100 "When this thing hits 88 miles an hour, you're going to see some serious sh%t." -Doc Brown
| | | | | Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 29,778 Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer) | | Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer) Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 29,778 | It simply increases the distance the intake mixture travels from the carb base to the combustion chamber. Longer runner length = more velocity, so the cylinder supposedly fills better at low speed. An extreme example of this was the old 413 Chrysler "long ram" intake manifold that put a pair of 4-barrel carburetors outboard of the valve cover, feeding cylinders on the opposite bank. Those engines had neck-snapping torque off the line! Jerry
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| | | | | Joined: Jun 2009 Posts: 149 Wrench Fetcher | | Wrench Fetcher Joined: Jun 2009 Posts: 149 | Spacers are also used to give air cleaner clearance from the distributor. I put on a holley carb that was "lower" than the original quadrajet. When I put my air cleaner on, it hit the HEI distributor. I put a 1.5 inch spacer on and now it fits fine.
(But I've also heard it gives you more torque)
Last edited by REAL_RAT_FINK; 06/15/2010 11:19 PM.
| | | | | Joined: May 2004 Posts: 1,312 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: May 2004 Posts: 1,312 | Low end torque is what I've heard. Also, phenolic ones may provide a little heat separation intake to carb. | | |
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