ime, it's not needed. the last all out bracket engine i built had the 3/8" pickup, and is in a 'cuda that runs 9.60 all day long, with absolutely no issues. my personal car has an external pickup, because it HAD a 1/2 internal pickup, but the boss cracked during a freshen up. remember that the milodon 3/8 pickup has the same diameter tube as the 1/2, only the end is different.