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1/01/2018 11:02 PM  #1


Edelbrock Performer or torker 289 intake

Hello every one. Thanks for letting me join!
I've ran the edelbrock torker 289 with gaskets for a long time and thought it was pretty good. Bad experience at first machine shop. The guy may have incorrectly resurfaced the intake manifold too. After the rebuilt motor the intake started leaking oil so I brought it back to the second Machine Shop. They used only black gasket sealer all the way around the manifold. Said it would seal better than gasket. I smelled a lot of blow by and now at 40,000 miles it's really starting to leak oil on the timing chain cover, not just seepage. I was thinking of pulling the intake and having it resurfaced. But I researched Edelbrock and the Performer reviews showed it's a lot better than torker...
I have a '68, .30 over 289, 4100 Ford carburetor, torker 289 manifold, stock cam, long tube headers and standard shift. What's your opinion on the edelbrock performer compared to the old style torker 289? Would I be a lot better off to get the newer edelbrock performer?
Thanks for all your help!
Happy New Year!

 

1/02/2018 4:27 AM  #2


Re: Edelbrock Performer or torker 289 intake

The big question is what are you expecting?  If you are expecting a new intake to turn a mild combination into a street/strip killer; forget about it.  If you're willing to trade some low end grunt for top end power; that's realistic, but keep it in perspective.  We are probably talking about moving around 5-10 HP and 5-10 lbs/ft.  Note I said moving around, not adding.  You'll shift the sweet spots in the torque and power curves higher in the RPM range.  You might gain a little power on top, but you'll need to be able to tune your carb and timing curve to get it.

IMO, if you want to spend money and make a difference ditch the long tube headers and go to something mid length.  Long tubes are great for top end power, and don't do bad on the bottom end either, but the killer is the flat spot they have in the mid range, which is where a street car spends most of its time.  With an engine already short on torque it can't be giving up torque right where it needs it.  A mid length header would help in the midrange quite a bit at the expense of maybe a tiny bit of top end power.  On the street you don't notice or miss power; you notice or miss torque.  HP wins races, but torque puts you back in the seat.

So would you be "a lot better off" with the Performer rather than the Torquer?  No, and if I was looking for a gain I'd look elsewhere first.

Oh, and sealing an intake with silicone is a joke.  I'd never go back to that "machine shop" again.  Definitely use silicone in place of the end seals, but for the sides use a quality gasket.  Now if you can't get your intake to seal it may be time to get a new one to solve that issue.  Its not hard to tell if its the problem though.  Clean all the silicone off everything then set the intake on the engine with some spacers the thickness of a gasket set back from the edge a bit.  Visually inspect the gap all around and see if you're sealing surfaces taper a lot.  If the heads were milled, or worse yet angle milled to gain compression and the intake wasn't machined correspondingly you may have an issue.  Another thing to check is to see if the intake is warped.  Use a good straightedge on the side mating surfaces and look for cupped or twisted areas. 

 

1/02/2018 10:20 AM  #3


Re: Edelbrock Performer or torker 289 intake

Thank you so much for all of that information TKO. That was brilliant! I guess I'll stay with a torker. Not looking to go any faster than the car will go as it is.
I appreciate you!

     Thread Starter
 

1/02/2018 11:58 AM  #4


Re: Edelbrock Performer or torker 289 intake

Glad to help, and welcome to the forum!

 

1/02/2018 6:36 PM  #5


Re: Edelbrock Performer or torker 289 intake

TKOPerformance wrote:

Glad to help, and welcome to the forum!

Double ditto.......welcome!
6sally6
 


Get busy Liv'in or get busy Die'n....Host of the 2020 Bash at the Beach/The only Bash that got cancelled  )8
 

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