Need some advise on a Port O Sonic single plane intake . Pros & Cons !

I have a chance to make a trade for a very nice Post O Sonic single plane intake for my 429 . I have never used these intakes and don't know much about them .
So I am asking for the pros & cons of this intake and are they any good to use ? I have a 1970 , 429 with stock dove heads that it will be used on a flat tap cam with about .590 lift with a 750 dp carb . I am using a standard 4 speed trans and 4.88 gears .

Jim

be aware of the older port-o-sonic i had 2 different of those from the early 90s and both were bad castings from the factory sent the first one back to offenhouser, they replaced it with another that was cast wrong also . the bolt holes were slightly off so i fixed that by opening them up bigger, then the driverside intake port was mis aligned with the head so it wouldnt line up with the head and gasket very well it had only about 1/8" gasket erea to seal at the bottem of the port. it would seal for about a few months but then start leaking. i blamed alot of other stuff before i switched to a wiend manifold and probllem was solved . the wiend is a great manifold. a very rep. machine shop helped me find the problem. maybe they are better now but keep that in mind. now i run an edelbrock victor and love it. you cant go wrong wth the victor.

I emailed the guy and told him I would pass on the intake for $75 .
The reason is I checked on "The Proven Builds" post here and they use a dual plane intake for the builds I am looking at . Single plane are nice but won't do me much good for a street car or when I run on a 1/8th mile tracks which is what most the closest tracks are where I live . 1/4 mile tracks are a good 2 hours from me ! Was a good deal but only if I could use it .

So now I will just be looking for a good deal on a dual plane intake now !

Thanks for the information !
Jim

Hey Jim what about a weiand stealth intake. There good and sell pretty cheap.

Wise choice Jim. You need a dual plane for your application

I will be looking for an intake that I might be able to trade something for , unless I can find one dirt cheap . I am also looking for a good flat tap cam to use as well . The headers I will have to build myself unless I can find someone with a right hand header that I can build one from . I have ONE drivers side long tube header that was given to me and is hanging on the wall in the garage right now .
I am building this gasser on a very tight budget since I am on disability and have no extra money . I have always wanted a gasser since I was was a teenager and since I saw my first gasser ! I a 58 now and have a good bit of parts to build this gasser with . I have been lucky so far scraping around for parts to use but running out of all the places I have used before to get some parts . I do have a roll cage that is for a 1984 Mustang but not sure if it will fit or not . It's a kit and not put together . Got that in a trade ! It's a 8 point cage . If the main hoop will match the frame to weld to I will be OK with the rest .
I will use the gasser mostly for cars shows and drive around town to have some fun with . I will take it to the track for sure to have some straight line fun with and do some bracket racing again . Only 1/8th mile tracks around here but drag racing is fun no matter how long the track is !

So if anyone has some good used parts I can use , barter or trade for please let me know . I am not real picky where I only want the big brand name parts so some of the off brand name parts will work just fine for me . As long as the parts are in good condition to use I am good to go . Remember I am out to have some fun and not going to be the every weekend drag racer since I can't afford that anyway .
The engine will be running on pump gas most of the time , but then might use better fuel at the track . I have also considered some nitrous to help with the hP too if need be . Maybe a 100 shot to a 150 shot at the very most . Need to keep the engine together !
If there is a place on this forum to ask for things like this can you please let me know .

Ernie the Stealth intake is a decent intake and very close to an Edelbrock . Would you have one forsale or know of someone ?

So I have some sbf parts and other things that aren't car related to barter with .

Thanks for all the help so far .
Jim

Well Jim I don't know of anyone who has one because I would like to find one but I will probaly buy a new one. I think summit has them for around $180 bucks. Only intakes I have is the weiand tunnel ram and a iron factory manifold thats a 4 barrel style. I am doing the same thing with my dove-c heads but they are going on a '73 stock 460 short block with a comp 260H cam. Gonna have a stump puller for 1/8 brackets.

What's your compression on the 429 Jim?

Ernie , It's a stock engine with flat tops and dove heads so I am just guessing they are 10 to 1 or 10.5 to 1 . The engine is suppose to have had 335 HP when built from factory but Ford said the HP ratings lower because due the Insurance ratings we paid for back in the day . Most had more HP than the companies said they were ! Got the engine in a trade for some sbf parts I had . So I decided to use it for my 50 Ford gasser . I have a stock 460 cast iron intake but damn thing weight to much to think about using . That will be for sale at the Ford Nationals in Carsile , Pa. this year . I sell up there to make money for the stuff I need . I usually find some nice parts there as well .
Cam wise I am not sure what to go with yet . Want something with good mid range since I will use on street and 1/8th mile tracks but will have a 4.88 rear . I have a friend that is pulling his from his coupe and selling to me for $200 for the complete 3rd member . Hard to turn down for that price . I will also be using a 4 speed top loader close ratio trans too . Want to go with a flat tap cam since they are much cheaper than a roller cam .
I would have liked a C6 but can't afford to buy one or have one built .
I have been looking over the "Proven Build" Posts and is very helpfull to get what I want . I am going by that some what to get an idea on what to get .

Jim

Ok you should be about 10.5:1 compression. The reason I ask is because Lunati has 2 retro cams. One is the hydraulic version of the 370HP 429 C9AZ-A camshaft and they have the solid super cobra jet DOAZ-D camshaft or if you wanted the most get a custom solid specd out for you. On my 521 SCJ motor I built a cam that would run 6.50's from idle { about 1,200rpm's } doing a 1.40 60' doing 105,106mph all night long shifting at 6,500. Looks like with that kind of gear you would benifit from a cam going to 6,000 to 6,500 rpms.

I figured something with higher rpms since I am going to use 4.88's . I will rpobably just have to use a off the shelf grind since custom grinds cost a lot more . I would rather use a solid lift cam than a hyd. Seems they can hold the higher rpms better than a hyd. How well will the stock rods hold up to 6,000 rpms ? Do you know of any good cam grinders that don't cost a lot to do a cam up ? I will probably just run stock valves but I am considering getting a little bigger intake valves if I can afford them . Don't want to go too large for a 1/8 mile track . I was considering a E85 set up for the track . I can get the fuel about 20 mins from me so that's not a problem . I know I will need a different carb , fuel pump , regulator and tank . That way I can use pump gas on the street and use the E85 for the track . Any thoughts on using E85 to race with ? I am also considering Methanol/water as well . Do you know of anyone using either one of these fuels to race with ?
I am going with Holley 750 dp for a fuel carb . That should be plenty for the set up I will be running .

Jim

I don't know to much about the e85, you will probaly be better off with 110. I know a lunati cam runs about $185 give or take for a solid cam, but something else for ya you can ground a custom cam for the same price. I have bought direct from Lunati. Very good company to deal with and I keep a few books with cams and lobes in them when I ever need to get stuff. I like how they are very forth coming. Comp cams when I tried to deal with them they give the attiude that unless you are a dealer to even bother with them. In short a custom cam or off the self will be the same price. Good turn around too. Or if you have a shelf cam you like but want different LSA or something they will do it for you.

I have used a couple Lunati cams for some customers before . I was very surprised to the power that they put out and a very strong pulling cams ! Comp I have used the most and been happy with them as well . I have used Crane , Crower , Elgin , Schnider , Isky and a couple others and have been happy will all of them . I honestly can't see the difference betwen any of those compaines products and they all have been around for a long time . Comp is the biggest company right now but that doesn't mean anything to me . I just like to use what works best with the set up I will be using .
Since I have built and run 289/302/5.0/351w the most , those are the engines I can build the best for power . I haven't built that many big blocks of the Fe & 385 series yet . So this 429 would be a fun build for me !
Then I think about some of the 302/5.0 engines I have built that have 400 hp and lots of torque with a lot less weight . If I didn't have all the money in my new blow shield & 4 speed close ratio top loader , I would probably just build another 302 or 331 and run a decent cam with some forged pop up pistons that I have with GT40 heads and crank out 400+ HP with good torgue and a lot less weight up front . I have a top loader for a small block as well if I wanted to use that or maybe a C4 . With a 5.0 engine I can use a 8" , 8.8 or 9" size rear with 28 spline axels which are a lot cheaper to build than one for a 429 .
So before I go any farther I am considering all different ways to go . I really like the 429 and would like to get 425hp to 450hp from it to run on pump gas without sinking a lot of money into the engine and rear .
So now maybe everyone can understand some things I am considering and why I am thinking about a different build than the 429 . I can always sell the 429 , 4 speed trans & blowshield and get my money back there .
So this is where I am now and I am just trying to think what would work best with the least amount of money right now .
I don't know what I can get for the 429 I have now if I would try to sell it . If anyone has some idea on some things to consider or what I can get for the engine please let me know . I might keep the engine and build it but not sure what to do now . I allso do trade a lot for parts I can use for a build also .

Thanks ,
Jim

RetroJim wrote:I have used a couple Lunati cams for some customers before . I was very surprised to the power that they put out and a very strong pulling cams ! Comp I have used the most and been happy with them as well . I have used Crane , Crower , Elgin , Schnider , Isky and a couple others and have been happy will all of them . I honestly can't see the difference betwen any of those compaines products and they all have been around for a long time . Comp is the biggest company right now but that doesn't mean anything to me . I just like to use what works best with the set up I will be using .

Jim I don't think it is so much the brand but the grind that makes a big difference. Two very similar cams (lift and dur) can have different lobe profiles and be two totally different cams. I would just order a custom cam as the cost is the same I believe. There is some experts on here when the time comes. I have a comp cam in my 56, my bucket and I believe there is one in the 466 I just bought so yoiu can't go wrong with comp cams IMHO.

I do like Comp cams and haven't had any issues from any yet . I think I have installed well over 40 of them over the last few years or so .
Did a few Lunati cam swaps in those orange colored engines . (Money is Money)
I have to say about 80% of my customer that wants a cam or a cam upgrades have asked for Comp cams by name . The others ask what I recomend or prefer to use and I always tell them this , I have installed and used Comp Cams the most and haven't had any problems with them at all ! Good quality cam at a decent price .
The only problem I have ever had with Comp Cams products was with their roller rockers . I have had them break before in SBF engines . They all have been on a 347 stroker engine and Comp Cams would not make good on them either ! That was 2 seperate engine this happened to but both were 347 strokers . So I tend to stay away from them unless a customer askes for them by name . I usually use Crane and have done well with them so far .

I have checked into some customs cam grinders about having a cam made before . Prices are about the same but just a little higher in cost , but I feel in some certain builds it's better to have a custom cam made for your set up . Like blowers , nitrous , turbos and so on . They tent to be better than the off the shelf cams grinds you would buy in catalogs , BUT that's just my opinion . I say about 99% of the time , an off the shelf cam from a catalog will serve you very well in most engines . Now if you are building a big cube , high HP puller , mud or drag race engine , it's best to have a cam made for your set up .
I have even considered having a cam re ground before . I have read and heard they are just as good as long as the cam you are re grinding is good .
Has anyone had a cam re ground before ? I know that's less money but I guess if you figure in the shipping it might not be the best choice in the end .

Thanks !
Jim