Anyone out there mounted a Hughes F1 Air Gap intake onto a 318/360/5.2/5.9 V8 and willing to reporpt the results? Claims of better power and improved fuel mileage makes it very interesting.

The dyno results they have posted on their site are not correct. Both the Air Gap and the Mopar A1 will raise the power band from the kegger style intake.

I have run them and they are better except very low RPM, you pretty much need a manual trans and shifting around 2000 RPM to take advantage of the kegger TQ, it was a great idea but poorly executed. The long runners with no shar turns was a nice idea but then they cooked the air with a thin steel plate conducting heat from the hot oil right to the intake air an to really make sure it was hot they heated it up with a coolant passage right against the air going to the front runners and to top it all off the steel plate bends up between the bolts and lets pieces of the gasket fall out so it sucks oil into the cylinders.

The RPM air gap only gives up a tiny bit of TQ very low for a good chunk of power slightly higher in the RPM range. It is also a broader RPM range even though it is a tiny bit higher up.

Thanks HotRodDave, that's how I interpret the power gains of the Hughes over a modded Kegger. If I go with the kegger, I will modify it for better higher rpm flow (I have an extra kegger), and I already have the aftermarket plenum plate to seal the bottom of the kegger into the block valley. If there was a way to mod a kegger into an air-gap style I'd try that too. What I have read about the Hughes is the gains in mid-range and higher, and the fuel mileage gains.

One thought to consider. Before Air Gaps became a thing, we used to block off the exhaust crossover and use a lifter valley baffle plate to keep hot oil off the bottom of the intake. Milodon makes the baffle

Interesting. I've heard of windage trays for the oil pan but never knew about a valley pan to keep hot oil off the bottom of the intake. I'll consider that, especially if its adaptable to mounting the kegger onto a 5.2 Magnum. But if I use the kegger with the thick aluminum bottom plate I wonder if it still clears the valley baffle plate? This pic is the bottom of the kegger with the thick plate in place,

Never messed with a kegger intake, so I dunno if it will clear the baffle. I have always run the baffle myself, but on typical 4bbl intakes. Does it help? I dunno, but it beats cleaning out the cooked on oil inside the stock crossover heat shield setup, lol.

I do have an LA on the stand with one installed, but the intake is on. Maybe, if I get energetic, I'll pull the intake and measure.

I watched a video a few days back showing Powernation guys installing an intake on a Chrysler small block. Sure looked to be enough room between the mount surface for the intake and the bottom of the valley to allow a plate to keep hot oil off the intake bottom. One thing about intakes like Hughes Air Gap is the real air gap on top of the intake and below the mount surface for the throttle body. No matter the mods to the kegger, there is no real cool air flow gap between the bottom of the kegger and the top of the block valley. If the kegger bottom plate was angled up lengthwise it could create an air gap but then the block valley would have to be sealed off somehow. For that the Hughes Air Gap intake is a good setup to seal off the block valley and create a real air flow gap above the valley.

But even a Milodon valley baffle does not fully seal off the block valley. It just keeps hot engine oil from splashing directly onto to the bottom of the kegger plate. For that matter, could a block valley baffle be made to fully seal off that area? And can the crankcase breathe properly if the block valley was fully sealed off? Seems to me the block has to be able to "breathe" from both sides.

From 2006

All that shield is going to do is hold oil up net to the exhaust crossover baking it. I also see the crossover isn't blocked. As for the air gap design, I question how much "cool air" is getting in there. Maybe on a dyno there is a minor improvement, but under the hood, with an exhaust cross over? Relying on air that has passed thru the radiator? I guess cool is a relative term here.

I paint the bottom of my intakes and between it and the milodon baffle I have zero build up on it. How much is it helping? Who knows.

As for breathing, the entire valley is not sealed, there is room around the edges for air flow. Especially around the distributor drive location. Even one of those setups that seal to the china walls would still allow for breathing.

No oil is trapped between the shield and it mounting point, as there is a standoff between the two.
The SS has as an attribute reflective radiant heat quality,
SS also is relatively a poor heat conductor.
The exhaust crossover on the head is blocked and has no ability to bake anything.
The opened manifold crossover allows ambient air movement that is cooler relatively than cam valley air.
This car also has the Mildon lifter valley shield.

if one studies a properly installed pvc system, where the pvc valve is installed on one valve cover, and a breather installed on the opposite one, you can see "air" is introduced by the breather, sucked through the crank case by the pvc valve, then exited into the intake manifold.
this also provides the benefit of not allowing the crank case to build up pressure, thus blowing out seals and gaskets, causing oil leaks.
this is why a pvc system is a must on almost every engine built and installed, from street to race applications.
just my personal life experience and opinion of almost 60 years playing with these toys.
your results will vary.

so the consensus is that a valley baffle is a worthwhile addition to the small block Mopar engines, and it does not have to fully seal around the valley to be effective right?

Interesting that a stock 5.2 Magnum has no valley baffle other than the intake manifold bottom plate. Yet stock V8 engines from GM have a pretty complete valley baffle that nearly seals off the block valley from ambient air:

You guys are talking about two different motors. The original post was referring to the " Hughes F1 Air Gap". This is for the magnum motor NOT the LA. Magnums don't have the exhaust cross over like the LA's did. If you are building a drag car then i might worry about hot oil hitting the bottom of the intake. I really don't think it's an issue with EFI magnum. And if it is how much? You may get minuscule amount of power with a cooler intake. That's up to you to decide if you want to "insulate" it or not. The LA's i would agree to block off the cross over. But they are for carburated engines that's why they are there. Emissions also when they had the EGR ports in them.

Good points. Whether I go with the modded Kegger and throttle body, or spend the bucks for the Hughes Air Gap, I'll still install a valley panel. Why not? When I am in the 5.2 Magnum to do other updates I might as well do it all in one shot.

Andy, with my 49, I gained a another mpg by simply pulling air from outside of the engine compartment. That big domed hood holds a lot of heat around the top of the motor through the summer, but I also remover the outside air from the filter housing through the winter. The cold in the winter was causing a stumble on a cold motor, and your in a colder environment then I am.

just my opinion, take it for what its worth, but I don't think that hot oil splashing on the bottom of the intake is going to be a huge problem for the kegger, and may actually be an improvement during the colder months you also intend to drive the truck.
I also don't believe I would want to give up any low rpm torque, a expensive new intake would cost. You keep working on dropping the cruising rpm to gain the mpg you are seeking. That "little torque drop" the aftermarket intake will cost you at low rpm, just to gain more at slightly higher rpm, might be way more harmful then you think. If you have to step into the throttle more to keep the truck moving over slight hills, it may kill any advantage you may gain. The low rpm torque is exactly what the 4.7 lacked, but you are considering taking the 5.2 in that direction.

As usual Gene, after some more research and thought, and your input, I have found more than enough evidence that my overall goals to start with are probably best done (cost wise too) to stay with the kegger. I don't plan to do any bracket racing, and my driving habits with my old Dakota rarely had me going over 5,000 rpm, all well matched to the power curve I'll use daily with a kegger intake. I'll mod the extra kegger I have for the flows gains available with my own time and work, same for the throttle body. Some winter nights in the shop with a grinder and bits can net some gains for both. And like you said, some thoughtful intake air management for those gains as well. The Hughes Air Gap intake is nice, but over $500 nice? More I think about it, the harder it is to justify.

Just an FYI if anyone is interested, MT ran one of the Engine Masters shows on the magnum engine yesterday(S6 EP23). The name of the company that made the intake i spoke about is Utawesome. The dyno results over the stock kegger was a "ladder" Paralleled the stock one over the rpm band. They swapped over to carb intakes after this. They started to build power after the 4K mark.

As expected, "They start building power after the 4K mark." is not an rpm range one would expect to see too often in a vehicle one is chasing fuel mileage with. 4 K + rpm and gas mileage don't generally go together.

Agreed. Most of my driving in my old Dakota (4.7V8 5-spd manual 3:55 rear) had me in the 2500 t0 4000 range as I rarely needed to exceed that range for my driving style. Now, the 2001 4.7V8 was not a strong engine torque wise until it spun up to about 3300 rpm. I'm replacing the 4.7/manual with a built 5.2 Magnum and the 8-spd auto trans, so it should be a lot more torquey and responsive, and the power range from 2500 up to 5000 is more in my range of driving and needs. Especially since the first two gears in the 8-spd are lower ratio than the manual trans. In fact its not till 3rd gear that the 8spd matches the current 5spd in my Dakota. That should make my 56 pickup much more fun and responsive even with the kegger setup. A modded kegger will help the 5.2 perform to my needs for the few times I get to or exceed 5000 rpm. My goal for highway driving should have the 5.2 humming along at about 1700 rpm at 70mph, which I know is good for at least 20mpg.