Hi guys, I see that Edelbrock now has the B-4B along with the Performer. I was wondering if either would be worthwhile on my presently stock '71 Riv GS and also why would they even make another manifold so similar....Soren
Stock 71.... Don't waste you money on either of those manifolds for a stock 71 455. Better off spending your money on a oil pump booster plate as a first mod to a BBB. The B4B was probably reintroduced because people were always asking for it. Out of the box (as a straight bolt-on, no porting), it out performed the newer Performer. The Performer was designed to accommodate the GS hood scoops by moving the carb pad back to the factory location. That factory carb pad location (but 3/8" higher) also make it easier to hook-up the factory accessories.
The advantage of the aluminum manifold besides overall weight of the vehicle is ease of installation. I hate that stock iron manifold more than iron heads, just because of the weights involved. The aluminum one is easy to install
Ditto to the weight statement. Buick's iron intake is the heaviest SOB I have ever lifted. You could probably run 1 w/o bolts if you had to.
I thought so too, until I worked on my friends Ford. I never complained about the weight of the stock Buick intake again.
LOL The crank's a killer too. I was madder at the crank than the block when I brought them to my machinist! At least I expected the block to be heavy
Thanks for the info guys. I've read a few build-ups in the hot rod magazines and most mention the performer. One of the tests compared it to a single plane and the performer seemed to do better up to 4000-5000 rpm I don't remember the exact number; but it did appear to me that the performer made more power under most street conditions. I do plan on having my engine built down the road and I would like an honest 500hp motor to motivate the Riv enough to stomp a few pony cars and rice burners. By the way I do own a Honda, Subaru and a GMC so I am not slagging any particular makes......Thanks again, Soren
Do a search,,, JW has posted dyno runs on all the combos. From what I recall, no real difference between the B4B & Preformer, if you do some simple porting...:bglasses:
I read somewhere that the FE intakes are 100 or 120 lbs (either is too much). Never lifted one, but they look enormous!!
A factory cruise unit will not bolt to the B4B without a bracket modification either....for the same reasons as the hood scoops not lining up on GS's. The carb is centered on the intake, rather than laid back towards the firewall.
