Working on a 632 Chevy this morning. The customer wants to switch over to a Hogan intake manifold. I assumed it was a sheet metal intake but when I pulled it out of the box is it all billet. They started with a BIG chunk of aluminum to make this baby!

Yikes, my engine more closely resembles the engine behind that one.

Why billet? For small volume it's cheaper than a casting. Once you have the CNC program, the only cost is the alloy per lb., and the hours to run the CNC. The first and last one cost the same, and you don't need any inventory: as-needed for tomorrow only..
A casting has a huge set-up cost, the wooden model, then the mold, melting, skimming, pouring, heat treatment, manual finishing (yes, I took foundry and machine shop in school). The first one cost $10,000, the thousandth one costs $300.

Be interesting to see the power difference between that and the manifold that came on it. That engine is a very well developed piece to make the power it makes.

That intake doubles as a work of art.
Somebody has a Wallet, and I mean capital W.
I suppose it has better internal radii than a sheetmetal aluminum manifold, but I wonder what the power/dollar ratio is.

I agree. The factory spider type intake seems to work really well. The runners on this box type intake are shorter which may or may not work since the engine has a 7000 rpm redline. But the customer wants a front facing throttle body since that is how he plans to plumb the air intake. With the top of the manifold removed you can look down the runners and see most of the intake valve.

If there were more room, adding a semi-toroid (1/2 donut) 3/8" radius above the runner entrances, improves the flow coefficient (HT: Vizard).

I ordered and paid for a EFI custom blower manifold from Tim Hogan in late September of 2022, I was promised it would be done in either 3 to 6 weeks or 6 to 9 weeks, CRS. It would definitely be done before the end of the year. I called them before Christmas and was assured it would be ship by the 30th of December and they would send me the.tracking information after shipping it. I called them at the end of the second week in January and was assured it would be ship the next week for sure. No calls in January or early February so I made one more call and was told the same thing again.
I waited another week and then called the local police station and filed a complaint to try and make sure I would get the intake from them as soon as possible. I didn't get it but they called me and sent me a refund company check from them for the original amount by two day mail. One of their employees called me and was really upset that I had call the police and file the complaint I deposited their check the next day and it hasn't bounce so far. I did discuss with him about taking care of business in a professional manner and he assured me that is how they conduct business, but evidently not with me
My message is choose carefully who you do business with
I will have that intake made by another competitor of theirs

Here is a view of the interior of the manifold. The manifold splits in half which makes it nice for checking port alignment.

W/r/t "he assured me that is how they conduct business"

If they printed that in their ads, they would learn quickly that most buyers won't consent to that, and use a CC. Warn them that, if not received per quote, the charge will be protested. Trust no phone conversations, keep all e-mails.
For the buyer, this is not fraud (breaking a promise does not establish fraud, which requires proof of intent prior to the promise), and not a criminal offense, so the police will listen but can't do much.

Slowly we learn that making a nice product does not guarantee honest dealing.

That intake is seriously beautiful.

I'm an old school manual machinist but love the billet parts! Definitely a piece of art.

Trust me, the engineer that designed it, and the machinist that finished all critical dimensions, had nothing to do with how shiny it is.
Way back: a serious racer would have a towel over his intake system in the pits to avoid giving hints.

Or for a distraction. Was it Gary Beck that used to put a towel over his throttle pedal? Asked about it years later he said when they're looking there they're not looking somewhere else.

Kevin

Back when in flat track bike racing, there would be some question about overall gearing on a specific track. Not sure what to use? Find an expert with your engine, and examine his rear sprocket. Do likewise.

The expert had ground off the stamp showing the tooth count, and re-stamped it 4 or 5 teeth smaller, reducing torque and making the imitation the slowest bike on the track.

Gary Ormsby, the terrible towel.

Well I got the Gary right. Lol

Kevin

as am i, plus having some CNC programing and machining skills, but the machines out today, plus the programing capability now, put me and any experience i have back in the stone age !
that intake could be framed as an art piece !

As we speak, huge, important buildings all around the world are being designed at a cost of billions that are far less attractive than that manifold.

We thats good but gotta say the port alignment in the one pic looks to be at best way off. Assume the cross section is correct. Maybe no gasket on it or a picture thing?!?