[BierManVA]

I've read a bit on carb spacers and it seems to be that a one inch spacer will add a few HP on our Pontiacs. How many of you are using one and what is a good brand? What are your experiences with them?

I find very few listed most parts places I go. And, no.. I am not gonna whittle one out of wood no matter how many people say so. :-)

[steve25]

A 1" spacer will always help out a duel plane Manifold, on a single plane it can hinge on a few things.
One big factor being the dampening of reversion pluses due to Cam size and or the stroke of the motor ,but at any rate you will never see a power drop off, just maybe no power gain on a single plane.

[HWYSTR455]

I always use a 4 hole spacer, though I generally use dual plane intakes. They work on single plane intakes, but I just personally don't have any experience with them on single planes.

I recommend these to all who ask me, and everyone who has used them have never had issues:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/edl-8711/overview/

Moderately priced, good quality, and last forever.

.

[Scott Stoneburg]

I've used several spacers, from plastic, wood and aluminum. My engine responded best to a tapered spacer. Started with a 2" tapered spacer when I used a T1 manifold and a 830 Holley. Now using a 1" tapered spacer with a victor and a 1050 Holley.

[android 211]

The right rear secondary blade of a Rochester hangs down into the plenum and blocks flow into the rear two cylinders at WOT. A half inch or one inch spacer alleviates this problem. The spacer adds to the runner length and adds a little mid range torque. However very knowledgeable people have posted here that they measured no improvement on the strip from adding a spacer to a dual plane. The Performer has a higher carb pad and the blockage is not as pronounced as the cast iron. You will have to make a longer rod to connect the choke coil to the carb. The passenger side tube that connects the rocker cover to the air cleaner won't fit unless you bend it. The stock fuel line from pump to carb isn't long enough although In Line Tube will bend you one if you ask. The phenolic spacers do provide some insulation from manifold heat; a good thing with ethanol fuels.

[74Grandville]

Edelbrock has some good cheap spacers. I like there dual plane or open wood spacers depending on the application. Tapered spacers are best. Hood clearance is another consideration.


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[ta man]

I know from experience when using a Torker 2 on a 500plus hp 455 a one inch open spacer is worth 20 to 30hp.Also my car slowed down with a 4 hole spacer compared to a open,but picked up slightly with a Wilson 1 inch tapered.

One of the major improvements years ago was figuring out how to fit a one inch spacer under a shaker.Once I figured that trick out I had an easy 2mph at the track gain.

[BGus16]

I installed a 3/4" phenolic spacer on my 78 T/A last year. It was an old spacer that I bought at a swap meet years ago for cheap. It was a for hole type that I opened it up to mimick the spacer that Jim H/Cliff use. I run a pretty well tuned quadrajet on factory (1969) cast iron manifold. Highest previous runs to date at the drag strip were 106.9 mph. Only time out last year and it ran 107.3 mph. So I can say it picked up .4 mph with the spacer and no other changes. Its a little hard with the shaker scoop but I do use a drop base air cleaner also. For me it was a positive improvement. This is on a car that puts 345 hp/422 lbft to the wheels on a chasis dyno.

Barry

[Skip Fix]

So how did you get a 1" spacer under a Shaker? My 78 I have a hybrid and can only fit a 3/8 without a gasket on the scoop to hood. Hybrid-normal Shaker base modified for Holley bowl clearance at rear bowl(welded piece from a cheap drop base in (front bowl clearance BFH).. Picked up a 77scoop that the metal ring was shorter as it used a 1/4" plastic spacer between it and the scoop so bolted/riveted it to the scoop to get that extra 1/4". And definitely no dropped solid subframe bushings!

[Formulajones]

I've always had great success with a few different spacers. Lately what I've seen most improvement on are with the super suckers. They work fantastic on single plane intakes. Picked up 22 HP on my fathers engine on back to back dyno runs just spending 5 minutes installing a spacer with no blending of any kind.

Only time I've had good results with basic 4 hole spacers are when they are modified much like BGus16 mentioned, and using them on dual plane intakes. Also had good results with an open 1" on an RPM air gap intake that was worth a solid 1 mph gain at the track.

I've used phenolic, wood, and recently the aluminum super sucker spacers. Wood is easiest to work with and a great insulator. I've been most impressed with the super suckers as of late.

As far as I'm concerned, they are definitely worth the time experimenting with to see what works on a particular engine combo. If I have the hood clearance, I most likely will have some form of a spacer in there.

[pontibeast]

Just so I can order the right kind, what works well with a Q-Jet on a RPM manifold? Also does anyone know if a 1" will fit in a Lemans with a RPM and a Q-Jet without a drop base Air cleaner? Thanks

[Navy Horn 16]

Originally Posted by Skip Fix

So how did you get a 1" spacer under a Shaker? My 78 I have a hybrid and can only fit a 3/8 without a gasket on the scoop to hood. Hybrid-normal Shaker base modified for Holley bowl clearance at rear bowl(welded piece from a cheap drop base in (front bowl clearance BFH).. Picked up a 77scoop that the metal ring was shorter as it used a 1/4" plastic spacer between it and the scoop so bolted/riveted it to the scoop to get that extra 1/4". And definitely no dropped solid subframe bushings!

This will give you the clearance you need and make the shaker a functional cold air intake. It's a great piece of gear.

http://butlerperformance.com/i-24453...html%3Fq%3Dwfo

[ta man]

Originally Posted by Skip Fix

So how did you get a 1" spacer under a Shaker? My 78 I have a hybrid and can only fit a 3/8 without a gasket on the scoop to hood. Hybrid-normal Shaker base modified for Holley bowl clearance at rear bowl(welded piece from a cheap drop base in (front bowl clearance BFH).. Picked up a 77scoop that the metal ring was shorter as it used a 1/4" plastic spacer between it and the scoop so bolted/riveted it to the scoop to get that extra 1/4". And definitely no dropped solid subframe bushings!

I ended up using a "Dude Scoop"mounted flat on a moroso air pan with a small filter on the pan for street driving,at the track I removed the filter.The picture is the small "dual quad filter" test fit under the shaker without an airpan.

[Doug]

Any info on using spacers on tri-power?

[lust4speed]

I've had good luck with open spacers on single plane manifolds and individual runner spacers on dual plane manifolds. I swear that I could feel a power drop on the bottom end using an open spacer on the dual plane manifold.

[Lee]

If the spacer forces you to use an undersize filter, or a highly restrictive housing, then you are probably better off without the spacer.

A chassis dyno is a great place to quickly and accurately test such things. Perform your tests with the car the way you drive it, filter in place and hood down.

[Cliff R]

They can also reduce performance if/when they force the use of an air cleaner assembly that puts the lid closer to the carburetor.

I'd also mention, when it comes to spacers, is that there are many versions, 4 hole, fully open, fully divided, etc.

For the most part a fully open spacer on a dual plane intake will hurt power, and it can hurt it tremendously with some set-ups. I've seen losses of TONS of mid-range power, and often a stumble/hesitation/bog will follow the installation of a fully open spacer on a dual plane intake when going quickly to full throttle.

Removing the divider from a dual plane intake can have the same result.

Most single plane intakes are going to respond well to a spacer, usually fully open is best on one.

For dual plane intakes, a fully divided or semi-open usually makes the most improvement. Even so, improvements usually come in a little more MPH on top end and sometimes a small increase in ET. When we tested spacers at the track, all of them slowed my car down except for the semi-open spacer as shown in Jim Hand's book. It picked up nearly 2 mph over no spacer at all, but ran no quicker in ET with my combination.

This brings us down to the "cobbling" often involved with adding one, especially with Shaker and some Ram Air set-ups. One has to decide whether the potential of increased power/vehicle performance is really worth it, as it can get somewhat labor intensive, and expensive to use a spacer with some of these set-ups.

Common problems involved with spacers (or taller intakes) are hood clearance, fuel line relocation, throttle linkage too short, choke rod from intake too short (early set-ups), heat tubes from intake too short (later intakes).

I have noticed that in recent years folks are adding spacers to insulate the carb from the heat of the engine to keep from boiling the fuel in it. I've never had this issue with any vehicles I've owned, but this new fuel does have a very low point of vaporization/boiling, and some folks have issues with it in the hotter climates and warmer months.......Cliff

[Doug]

Originally Posted by Doug

Any info on using spacers on tri-power?

What? Nobody ever tried spacers on a tripower?

[STEELCITYFIREBIRD]

http://highvelocityheads.com/hvh-products/carb-spacers/
One of every flavor....except spreadbore.

[Formulajones]

Those super suckers work great.