IHOP in the morning for a test drive and breakfast...........

Glad to hear it.

Finally drove the new carb today.  This is like a new car.  It has never run this good in the 22 years I have owned the car.  The carb starts at the touch of the key, where the EFI had to crank a second or two.  It idles smoother, cruises smoother at low RPM and the driveability is better, probably dues to 670 CFM rather than 1,000 CFM throttle body.  Feels like power is as good or better.

I even swapped in a new vacuum advance MSD distributor.  I had MSD mechanical advance in it.  Should improve driveability but can't really tell by seat of the pants.  Of course, it is 1/4" taller than the old one and messed up the clearance for my Cobra air cleaner.  A new 289 Hipo air cleaner does not clear the hood at all.  The cobra oval will at least let the hood close, but I think it is in constant contact as evidenced by the wear marks under the hood.

The car is like new to me now.  Runs great, idles smoother and at lower RPM and is simpler to work on.  How could I beat that?

MustangSteve wrote:

I have to fabricate a new air cleaner hold down gizmo.  I gave my other one to Ramses.  The one for the EFI did not have to clear a choke horn.  I have a new and improved design in mind.  This is for the COBRA oval air cleaner with two wingnuts at the top.

Sounds like it's time for a "Shaker" !

Nice,, now leave it alone until after cruise,,,  FOR xODS SAKE LEAVE IT ALONE.   

MS - this is how I solved my 65 w/351W and stock, no scoop, hood ...
Base: stock Hi-Po style 14" round
Filter: K&N # E-2859 (1.5" high)
Top: Summitt SUM-239501 (filter style)
It was still a tight fit, had to use a regular 1/4-20 nut for hold down, but an acorn style nut would work.
Hope this helps.

Ernest wrote:

Steve, Can you share your new COBRA air cleaner hold down plan? I have to do mine on the 351W soon.

Made from 1/2" square boxed tubing and two pieces of 1" x 1/8" x 5" long pieces of flat barstock.  I used to have similar but only with about 1" long pieces at the end.  With the aircleaner base shaved so it is just a flat plate, it seemed to want to bend in the middle when the wingnuts on top were tightened.  The long pieces spread the load out farther so it holds it down past the end of the carb.  No making fun of my other mods to get it to fit a dual line Holley.  They were done in 1992 before I became a "professional"  LOL.

The bolt shown in the picture is NOT the final threaded fastener used.  I used a Grade 8, 1/4" bolt, but welded a washer to the threaded part as it comes out the bottom of the cross piece.  That keeps the bolt securely in the box tubing even if it were to back out of the carb somehow.  The bolt is captive and cannot fall out when the air cleaner is removed.

I also made a little T-handled wrench that has a 7/16" socket on one end and a custom fits-only-Ford-air-cleaner-wingnuts spanner on the other end.  I can keep that in the console so I always have the right tools to remove the air cleaner.

And now I am not even going to be able to use it !


 

The suspense is killing me???  So, what carb. Did you use?

66 jets are still in.  My original plan was to drop the bas of the air cleaner like that.   I cannot use a drop-base air cleaner like that one because my distributor is about 1/8" taller than the top of the Holley carb.  Even the perfectly flat plate base of the cobra air cleaner is jammed against the plug wires atop the distributor.  MSD pro-billet unit is too tall, even about 1/2" taller than the old mechanical MSD billet distributor that was on it.  Can't win.

How does it work, Ron?

Looks to me like it would work like an air chuck????