Intake Manifold Benefits - Edelbrock

355-cid small-block Chevrolet
11:1 compression ratio
Angle plug cylinder heads; 2.02-inch, 1.60-inch valves
Mild porting (not by Speedway Testing)
Chevy II oil pan
1 3/4-inch fenderwell headers
Competition Cams bumpstick with the following specs:
.530-inch intake lift
.550-inch exhaust lift
250-degrees intake duration @ 0.050 inch
259-degrees exhaust duration @ 0.050 inch
Lobe separation of 106 degrees (installed at 102 degrees)
1.5:1-ratio roller rockers
780-cfm Holley vacuum secondary carb (brown secondary spring)

The tests were all accomplished with the following parameters:
*Chevron 94-octane premium unleaded gasoline (see note)
*Water pump driven off crankshaft
*No mufflers
*PCV system in place

(Note: In John's testing, he has found that Chevron fuel seems to make the best power with an air fuel ratio that appears "rich," which is in contrast to race fuels which appear to make more power with "lean" air fuel ratio numbers.)

Which Manifolds?
So we had an engine. Which manifolds do we use? That was simple, too. We called High Velocity Heads, and they supplied a pair of intakes for the test: an HVH-Brodix dual-plane along with an HVH-Brodix SP1 single-plane intake. The dual-plane is a high-velocity piece designed primarily for wide-power-band street applications. It has a manifold height of 4.550 inches. In the opposite corner is the SP1. Obviously a single-plane manifold, the SP1 is a dedicated race piece with a manifold height of 5.875 inches. Meanwhile, Heida had, in his arsenal, an Edelbrock Performer RPM along with a Victor Jr. intake (both box stock). These proven manifolds would give us a good baseline. The test was set.

Testing, Testing
So far so good. What about the tests? Speedway Testing ran a number of different tests (something in the order of 15-plus pulls). Heida baselined the engine with an Edelbrock Performer RPM manifold, then swapped to the HVH-Brodix dual-plane, then swapped to the Victor Jr., and finally to the HVH-Brodix SP1. The first test, with the Performer dual-plane provided the following results:

Peak in baseline configuration was 412.9 hp at 6,200 rpm. Maximum torque was 400.6 lb-ft at 4,400 rpm (so much for the 5,500-rpm max peak power theory).

Here's an up-close look at the HVH-Brodix SP1. It's an impressive intake manifold right out of the box, and even on a relatively mild-cammed small-block, it almost approached the performance level of a well-sorted dual-plane.
Here's an up-close look at the HVH-Brodix SP1. It's an impressive intake manifold right ou
Meanwhile, the king of the test was this manifold: the HVH-Brodix dual-plane. While it might look pedestrian, this manifold, when coupled with a special HVH "Street Sweeper" spacer, produced the most noteworthy and useable power and torque figures.
Meanwhile, the king of the test was this manifold: the HVH-Brodix dual-plane. While it mig
For this test, we ran the engine with the headers used on the car-a First-Generation Chevy II, but the test was accomplished without mufflers. An interesting aspect of Heida's Superflow Dyno facility is the special "fireplace" (visible aft of the engine). What's with that? Simple: John is prepared to test mufflers on both street and race engines.
For this test, we ran the engine with the headers used on the car-a First-Generation Chevy