How close have you ran with a carb to the hood (hood has no scoop) without it affecting the car? Where was the carb to hood measured? Top of bowls. vents?

Measured from the vents, two inches are optimal.

Optional or minimum?

Mine runs right about 1". Been 9.05@149 with this setup.
Doug

Is that from the top of the vents to the hood?

I have 3" from the top of my carb flanges to the scoop on my Challenger.

There are a lot of things that come into play depending so, there is no one answer that fits all, unless it is 3" above airhorns. The only way you'll know for sure it to test and try it on your application.

Just have a friend with a new build in his N/SS Hemi car. he had it out a few times. Tried lots of stuff it wouldn't go down the track. Even early in the run it stumbled. Removed the hood last weekend and it went 9.50 lifting.
Doug

I've tested at the track and on a engine dyno with close doors using a dropped air cleaner base and then with the complete air cleaner and no air cleaner, my 1963 Plymouth Max Wedge steel front in car ran quickest(.020 to .030 ) with the bases only at the track

The Super Stock Hemi stuff - which has rules dictating carb mods, and hood scoop size and configuration but not intake height (it just needs to fit under the hood) - is a good example of compromises made when using all the space between the ground and the hood scoop. Engines are lowered, decks cut, etc trying to get the carbs up. They run them pretty close to the hood, and I can guarantee there has been plenty of testing done to determine how much is not enough.







Is it optimal? Probably not. But it gives you an idea of what you can get away with if you need to.

Those are close, but being scoop I'm sure that's a little different than if it was a flat hood. Currently I have the vent tubes removed (that's a story for another day) and I have approx. 1 1/2" from the top of the carb (where the vent tubes go) to the hood. I ideally would like to add a 1" resistor plate system but that would put the carb 1/2" from the hood. I just don't see that working well under a flat hood. I looked at the intake to see if possibly some of it could be milled down and there's not enough there to remove. Only option would be to go to a different intake. Currently the car is a great bracket car, but a little quick for an index class, so the resistor plate would be idea as I have one on another car and it works great. Trying to get it so I can run the index but not screw up how it well it works in the bracket class. I have been looking at adding weight and taking some throttle from it with a adjustable throttle cable as those might be my only options.