I have the opportunity to purchase an Edelbrock LD4B intake manifold alone or a stock cast iron intake (?year) with an Edelbrock Performer 600 cfm carburetor for the same price.

I want to put either one of these on my '71 Dart GT with a 318, auto (A904), 3.23:1 sure-grip 8 3/4" rear end. The car has electronic ignition, and dual exhaust (manifolds, 2 1/4" pipes, and FlowMaster 40s).

Everything I hear about the LD4B is that it is great for a 318 (port sizes match). But, will there be a significant performance difference (excluding the weight factor) between the LD4B and a stock cast iron manifold?

Basically, if I go with the cast iron manifolf I get the Edelbrock Performer 600 carburetor free. Is the LD4B worth giving up the free carburetor?

Opinions please!!

Excellent intake on a 318. Small port version of the LD340. Works great, you will be happy with it.

LD4B, excellent intake for 273/318. Taller than the Performer and has larger runner volume. LD-340 was its big brother and those go like hotcakes. Very good design, wide operational range, surpassed by Performer-RPM. May be similar to Stealth in performance, but probably cheaper because it is older. Used on early 340 drag cars before Ld340 came out.
Either way...it your choice...and with the economy the way it is..if you cant afford a new carb I would go the stock way...especially if you are a daily driver and the carb being good...ie rebuildable...my 2

I had a LD4b on my 318 with 302 heads and both were completly untouched and the port mis match was bad, you could look down the intake from the carb and see a big flat wall of the heads intake surface sticking in the port on the ports you could see through. Now haveing said that I do think it is a great intake but the ports really are closer to 360 ports than 318 ports. Also with the LD4B you have to find somewhere else to mount your coil. Port match it and it will be great, if you don't port match your heads then the stock intake and eddy carb sounds like a good deal

buy the stocker with the carb. Get a LD4B

Vizard ported a stock intake with a die grinder, just rounded off the corners, and narrowed a few walls. He claimed that his home ported Chevy intake was superior to ALL aftermarket intakes for a stock 350 motor. Of course, 30 lbs off the front end is nothing to laugh at either with an AL intake. If yoiu need a carb, get the stocker. Youll probably not feel any difference.

I had an LD4B that I had on my 273 in the Dart. I gave it to a friend when I moved up to a 340. I wish I still had it though. I'm assuming you are talking about an early 340 intake since it comes with the AFB. Hard to turn down a carb. The 340 manifolds are pretty good for stock pieces. I ran a TQ setup on my Dart and Barracuda. Buy both if you can afford it.

Don't forget the 4bbl kickdown linkage when you do the swap. Either that or modify your 2bbl one to work or get an aftrermarket cable kit.

If you can't afford a carb right now, go with the stocker. I've ran them on a ton of 318 cars and trucks and the stock one works great. I even keep one around on the shelf (just in case).