I have a Perfomer intake iwth 1" spacer and Quadrajet, need choke info

I have a 70 455 with a Performer intake and q-jet carb with 1" spacer, I would like to find a choke for it.

Please send ideas.

Thanks
Tim

---------- Post added at 09:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:30 PM ----------

Here is one option, but I will have to make my own rod. This seems very expensive.

Product Details:
Edl 1931 SBC Divorced Choke Kit Fits Quadrajet on Performer Manifolds

Quadrajet on Performer Manifolds



Tim

 

If you must have a choke, I would go to a 75/76 Buick quadrajet, 800cfm and convert to electric choke.

 

I'd get rid of the 1" spacer and run the stock choke set-up. For most applications, the spacer isn't bringing any performance gain to the table, and in many cases will hurt performance. About the only place we see more power with 1" spacers on those sort of intakes is on the dyno right up near the shift point. Even then the spacer needs to get semi-open, not a 4 hole, fully open or fully divided.

A few years ago I did some extensive drag strip testing with 4 different spacers, and ran them on the street as well to see the entire picture of what they did for vehicle performance.

On my 455 making 500hp at that time, running mid to high 11's. I ran the quickest in ET with no spacer at all, just one 1/4" thick open gasket on a stock intake. My stock intake is ported, same basic size/shape under the carb as a Performer or Performer RPM.

The only spacer that ran quicker anyplace than no spacer at all was a very well made semi-open spacer, and it gave up some 60' times, but ran just under 2 more MPH on top end. Still worse in ET by a couple hundreths than no spacer at all.

Spacers are a completely different deal on single plane intakes. A well blended 1" or taller spacer is pretty much manditory with them, and you can leave a TON of torque and HP on the table not using one. I've seen 50-60hp in quite a few cases, and in one case we saw just over 100hp difference on a single plane intake when it was dyno'd without a spacer under the carburetor. I'm certain this happens because the throttle plates stick too far into the plenum area causing turbulence and poor distribution.......Cliff

 

Cliff, thanks for your input. I did see an increase at peak of 10ft lb of torque and 4 HP on the dyno with a 1" 4 hole spacer. So if I find a stock choke it will fit with my Performer intake?

Thanks

Tim

 

After fighting to bend that rod just right so the choke would work at 30 deg out, yet fully open the choke, I came up with this.
I poped the spring out of the divorsed choke, used a piece of 1/2 x 5/8 aluminum, and used the electric choke conversion for a STOCK '72 455.
After I determined height, front to back locating was just making sure the choke rod had smooth movement. Once happy, I scribed the two alluminum parts and welded on the back side. The wire for the not used idle solenoid powers the choke.
One of these days I'll clean up the mount and paint it.







And a little farther back

 

good work. it is tough to get the electric choke coils to work with the 4M carbs. looks like you got it done well.

 

Good point on the spacer Cliff.

 

So many conflicting stories on spacers. Could it be that their effectiveness is dependent on combination?

Testing several different spacer types on one combination and then basing their overall effectiveness for all engines seems like a recipe for inaccurate conclusions to me.

The engine that those spacers were tested on sounds like it needed a single plane intake anyway, so 4 hole spacers on a dual plane would cripple it. It's no wonder it 'gained' (more like recovered) power when the spacer was removed, and only added a little on top end when an open spacer was used. The problem was the intake, not the spacers (sounds like to me).

Combination is everything.