340 intake question

Hi Guys,

We're doing a healthy street 340 build for a friend of mine. He was actually a hardcore Chevy guy, but looks to be converting. The 340 is going into a '70 Challenger, 4 speed with 3.91 gears. He's wanting a cam in the .230/.235 @ .050 range with .500-.550 lift. If it was me, I would be running a mild street mechanical roller, but per his wishes It'll be a Howards hydraulic roller, and he's using lightly ported X heads. We have a good handful of the Howards cams in different engines and they're all really nice street performers. Static compression is right around 10:1.

Here's the question.... with this engine he acquired an original Edelbrock/Mopar cast 6 pack intake setup in very nice shape. He wants to run a single plane (and not an RPM Air Gap) instead and already has a good carb for it. I was going to post a wanted ad in classifieds to suggest a trade plus cash, but first want to get some advice on which single plane will work for him the best. I've done a little reading on 360-1/M1/Team G/Victor etc, but wanted real world input based on the car and engine combination I have listed above. I really want something that will pull hard 2500-6k or so.

Thanks!

I have a 360 w/ 224@.050" hyd roller .550/.570. 9.0-1, LD 340, 650 Holley DP, mild port stock heads, 3.55, 4 speed Challenger. Real nice street driver. been 12.70@108 in street trim. Runs on 87 octane. Why a single plane?
Doug

Owner preference.... I think he likes the look of a single plane. FWIW though, his last car was a '68 Nova with a 355 that had a tunnel ram and a Lunati Bracket master II cam and he wasn't really bothered by the peaky street manners. If it was me, the mechanical street roller makes more sense with a single plane, but I'm not writing the checks I guess.

Over the years I have had most small block intakes at one time or another, and used them.
For a build like you are talking, the Edelbrock air gap dual plane is flat hard to beat.
If he insists on a single plane, I have had excellent results with the weiand excellerator. From builds like being discussed, to my current car/ motor that has an excellerator on it.( soon to be replaced by new heads and ported Victor.
I don’t like the Mopar M1 single plane on the build you are talking about, or a Victor either.
1a. Eddie air gap. 1b.. Weiand excellerator.
Looking around he should be able to find an excellerator. Paid 125 for mine couple or 3 years ago, it’s sold to the guy buying my Eddie heads. It’s a nice “street, street/strip” single plane.

I just put an excelerator on a 360, I like it also but they usually need a heck of a port match. Just a heads up.

Agree on the Weiand if it has to be a single plane. Another that works ok is the Torker II. The older torker 340 is a doorstop IMO.

As mentioned by everyone, the Air Gap would be superior to all of them.

Wish I could talk him into an Air Gap as well, but that's a no-go. I'll see what's out there.....

I think the Torker II looks like a nice intake, but it's really hard to beat the airgap intake. Especially if he's going to run a hydraulic lifter.
see this, the Airgap has about 20ft-lb on the Torker II until about 5000rpm. from there it's about even the rest of the way up..sixpack intake is pretty good but the airgap is better...

https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/mopp-0108-dyno-testing-small-block-intakes/

I agree with all that has been stated so far.

Personally, I used to run a Perfomer RPM intake (older style, so non-air gap) in my coupe. I tried the Holley Strip Dominator next (same engine combo) and felt the bottom end get weaker, not significant enough to feel like a missmatch, but it was there. Cam was a Hughes HE3844 hydraulic flat tappet, so 238/244 @0.050" on 108LSA. 727 trans, with 2800 stall coverter and 3.91 gears. I then went back to the Performer RPM piece as it was by far a better fitting intake for the street manners which mattered to me.

Having said that, I do have a Torker II brand-spankin'-new still in the box. If your customer is adamant about wanting a single plane let me know. I will not use it as I'm going to a W2 build now.

Here are a couple of pics of several of these intakes in a row just to give you a feel for how their design differs:



These are (starting closest to you - the viewer):
1) Strip Dominator
2) Torker II
3) Performer RPM
4) LD340

...here they are front the front:

I am going with a Weiand Excellerator on my 340 and this is what it will take to gasket match it. But I can’t wait to run it 👍

And only 1 mention of the Holley Strip Dominator, I ran that back in the day on my '71 340 Cuda, first with a 484/284 hyd., and then with a .590" SFT, awesome intake, good bottom end and pulled hard to 6k+, ran a 750DP and then an 850DP which picked up almost 2 10ths, likes more plenum and you can find one with a square holley pattern like mine was, would work well with the 4spd, I ran a 3500 and then a 4200stall with 3.55's and then 4.30's.

I bought a used Strip Dominator back in the early eighties. It replaced the stock cast iron intake I was using. That was the year they had changed the pro bracket to 11.00-11.99. I was barely running high 11.90's and looking for something to help. I put the Strip Dominator on one Saturday night before a Sunday race. I thought it sounded terrible in the garage. No snap like the stock intake, but it was on there and I wasn't changing it back now. Next day I was thrilled when it went 11.60's right out of the box.

Well, he beat me to the punch...found and ordered a Torker II. Thanks for the offer though!

Very true, case in point...of all the single planes available for 23 degree head SBC's, the Strip Dominator (taller plenum version) still holds its own very well against the Super Victor, Brodix HV etc. They also have alot of room in their castings to get really aggressive on increasing plenum volume and changing taper to the port.