Chevy Carburetor Test - Six Shooter To The Max

Often when thinking about fuel delivery, distribution and technology, electronics immediately come to mind. Fuel injection systems are often considered to be at the top of the technology realm, while leaving carburetors lying at the foothills, and being considered by some to be outdated technology from the dinosaur ages.

Don't bury the carburetor just yet. Carburetor manufacturers, such as Barry Grant's Demon Carburetion, are constantly evolving and improving their products to keep up with the times by improving fuel distribution, atomization, flow characteristics, and (most of all) drivability. A typical street rodder usually looks to achieve a lumpy sound at idle, and the ultimate in drivability, including (but not limited to) quick throttle response, mid-range power, and maximum performance at wide-open throttle. Drag racers, on the other hand, typically tune for wide-open throttle operation and if a decent idle is achieved, then great.

Before any dyno testing began on the Barry Grant DTS dyno unit, we got a peak into the AeroRam intake manifold. Notice the unconventional, yet simply laid out entry points into the runners.

Before any dyno testing began on the Barry Grant DTS dyno unit, we got a peak into the Aer

The typical street car should include all the bells and whistles: a smooth idle, excellent transfer when opening the secondaries, and seat-planting power at wide open. Demon Carburetion has addressed these issues and has a carburetor to suit your needs, no matter what your preference.

While the BG Six Shooter (three two-barrel units) has been around for some time now, Demon has released a more efficient setup labeled the Six Shooter Max, which incorporates the newly designed AeroRam Intake manifold. The AeroRam intake manifold, originally designed for use with the Badman 4-barrel inline carburetor, and has gone through a multitude of research and developmental stages incorporating runner design, port placement, and most of all, a way to create even fuel distribution to each cylinder.

Each runner is 6.250-inches long and looks to have plenty of meat for future modification (porting, Extrude Hone, etc.). With a consistent port design and runner length, efficiency will play a pivotal part in distribution.

Each runner is 6.250-inches long and looks to have plenty of meat for future modification

By creating even fuel distribution to each cylinder, in theory, the efficiency of the engine should also improve. While the conventional dual plane intake has worked wonders throughout the years, it is susceptible to fuel puddling and inconsistent fuel distribution to each cylinder, via different length runners, and runner design.

Why would one purchase the Six Shooter Max? Back in the day, the reputation of the three-deuce combo was great performance, but hard to keep in tune (especially for the novice). On the other hand the 3x2 looked cool, providing that true hot rod/muscle car look. The new Six Shooter Max offers the best of both worlds compared to earlier tri-power setups. It offers excellent idling characteristics, actual power gains (depending on the combination), easy tunability and great cold start manners via an electric choke. Is it actually possible to obtain looks and performance in a single package? To find out for sure we headed to Barry Grant's Research and Development facility in North Carolina for the real deal.