Was told about a guy by the name of "Paul" on the main board who could help me with application of intakes on the early Olds motors..Have a 6X2's Cragar Intake and need to know more about it. Any help would be appreciated.
If you post some pictures of it, or at least the numbers that are stamped on it, you will get some more feedback. A few of us Rocketeers on here... @Paul @GOATROPER02 @F&J @Martin_F
What size engine are you talking about, and what year intake? Here are some port dimensions: 303: 1-1/8 x 1-5/8 324: 1-1/8 x 2 early 371: 1-1/4 x 2 late 371 and 394: 1-3/8 x 2-1/2 @Paul posted them here some time ago...
I am no expert but I think that the intakes were interchangeable until the late 371/394 motors. We would still need more info then it is an olds manifold, pictures really help.
There are a few very knowledgeable Olds guys here, Basically the log style (two piece) manifolds can be broken into three groups, 49-53 303 with small ports, 54-58 324 and early 371 with mid sized ports, and 59-64 late 371 and 394 with large ports.
I'm no expert either, but that's sort of a true statement, ..."If" a person wants to slightly modify things, then those "can" be made to work,.... and it was done back in the "good old" days... I talk with as many oldtime hardcore Olds guys while they are still around. One of these guys sold me a shaved iron GM 57/8 J2 tripower intake that he bought brand new from the local Olds dealer. He had a friend mill the flanges so it could fit between the heads on his race 324 motor. I am pretty sure he later ran 371 heads on that 324, and I don't know what if or what needs doing to make that work. (he also ran about four or five different aluminun intakes on that motor...he always was experimenting) I have that shaved iron J2 intake on a 303 which has much shorter head ports than a 324, but I never opened them up to match the 371 size intake ports. I was told by Dave50 that the "stepped restriction" would be an issue at high RPM...AKA "reversion" I also had a vintage aftermarket set of aluminum spacer plates that were made to use the narrower 324 intakes on a 57/8 371. Not sure on the port match, but I would guess a little port matching was needed for high RPM. Also, I am running a 303 2x2 Edmunds on my 324, by using home machined aluminum plates to seal the upper edges of the head ports. I use a 324 gasket on the head, then the plate, then a 303 gasket, and then set the intake on. I am not doing high RPMs, and I wanted a 2x2, so it works OK for me. Some aftermarket 303 aluminum intakes might have more material at the top of the ports to be able to work better on a 324, but Edmunds really skimped on the thickness there. Here is a pic of the Edmunds port mismatch on my 324, before I made plates. This was an early "open web" low-rise Edmunds, and I've since switched to the later closed web, higher rise Edmunds. Both versions still need the sealing plate on a 324 motor. Also a pic of a 57/8 371 in a 32 Ford at a show, with homemade spacer plates to make the skinny Edmunds fit to the wider 371. He was running a 39 trans, so maximum HP is "not required"
Thanks guys, took measurements 1 1/4 X 2 so it seems like I have the early 371. Haven't been able to load pic's. I think I have enough info to do the swap meet here in Portland. Intake not mine, belongs to my departed partner. Whatever I sell it for will go to his widow. Thanks again guys!!!
The Cragar 6x2 is a log style manifold, yours sound like they were cast to fit the '57-'58 engines, port size is very close to the '54-'56 heads and will fit fine there too with slightly shorter rubber balance tubes.
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