Stealth CJ or Standard Stealth?

I have a Weiand Stealth CJ intake that I bought with intentions of building a 521 to put it on. Well, plans have changed and I am currently working on a 1972 429 with ported C9's on it. Going to put a Comp 34-239-4 cam in it with a 750 Edelbrock carb and L&L fenderwell exit headers. This is going in a 1978 F150 4x4 with a NP435 4speed, 4.88 gears and 36" tires. Will the CJ Stealth work ok with this or would I be better off with a standard Stealth or Performer RPM? Thank you for any recommendations.

Steve

Performer rpm maybe a Torquer

RPM IMO

Anybody know how much performance difference there is between a standard RPM and a standard Stealth manifold? There is a $50 difference in them and wondering if there is a $50 performance difference, too.
Steve

velcro7279 wrote:Anybody know how much performance difference there is between a standard RPM and a standard Stealth manifold? There is a $50 difference in them and wondering if there is a $50 performance difference, too.
Steve

If your major worry is performance versus money spent then you should find a cast iron 4 barrel manifold somewhere.

rmcomprandy wrote:

velcro7279 wrote:Anybody know how much performance difference there is between a standard RPM and a standard Stealth manifold? There is a $50 difference in them and wondering if there is a $50 performance difference, too.
Steve

If your major worry is performance versus money spent then you should find a cast iron 4 barrel manifold somewhere.

There is a cast iron 4 bbl on the engine right now. I was going to use it but figured a Stealth or RPM would be better with the ported heads and the cam. Would I be giving up much using the iron over a Stealth or RPM?

Steve

velcro7279 wrote:

rmcomprandy wrote:

velcro7279 wrote:Anybody know how much performance difference there is between a standard RPM and a standard Stealth manifold? There is a $50 difference in them and wondering if there is a $50 performance difference, too.
Steve

If your major worry is performance versus money spent then you should find a cast iron 4 barrel manifold somewhere.

There is a cast iron 4 bbl on the engine right now. I was going to use it but figured a Stealth or RPM would be better with the ported heads and the cam. Would I be giving up much using the iron over a Stealth or RPM?

Steve

You questioned "performance per dollar spent" ... not about power totals as that seemed not to be most important in your equasion.
The iron manifold WILL give you the most performance per dollar spent; whether any other manifold is WORTH a bit more power, only you can decide.

Well, money is part of it. I mean why spend money on a manifold when it could be put somewhere else. I originally asked if the Cobra Jet Stealth I have would work or if a standard Stealth or Performer RPM would work better? Are the ports too big on the CJ Stealth to maintain any kind of port velocity in a usable street rpm range or would it be fine with the rest of my engine? If the CJ manifold I have won't work well then I will sell it and get something that will or trade it for something that will.

Steve

The CJ stealth is to big and will hurt low end, the perfromer RPM is a great choice like has already been said.

remember usuable power = $$$$$. no matter how you look at it it is going to cost you to do it right.

not trying to be a smart ass but why would you put a stock iron manifold on a set of ported heads? sort of defeats the purpose to me.

paulie wrote:remember usuable power = $$$$$. no matter how you look at it it is going to cost you to do it right.

not trying to be a smart ass but why would you put a stock iron manifold on a set of ported heads? sort of defeats the purpose to me.

Factory Stuff will out do or equal alot of aftermarket manifolds Idle to 3500-4000 RPM.

paulie wrote:remember usuable power = $$$$$. no matter how you look at it it is going to cost you to do it right.

not trying to be a smart ass but why would you put a stock iron manifold on a set of ported heads? sort of defeats the purpose to me.

BECAUSE ... the question is about dollars spent per performance gained NOT the most horsepower which can be achieved.

It totally depends upon how much someone is willing to spend for 10 ft/lbs of torque or horsepower at an RPM range he will rarely use; no one else can make THAT decision for him.

Thanks for all the input. Think I will look around for a Performer RPM or 8012 Stealth and sell my 8021 Stealth. If anybody needs an 8021 Stealth I have one for sale now. Whenever I get this going I will let you know how it runs. Probably won't be for about three months though. After the weather breaks and gets a little warmer. Thanks again. Especially to dfree383 and Randy.

Steve

dfree383 wrote:

paulie wrote:remember usuable power = $$$$$. no matter how you look at it it is going to cost you to do it right.

not trying to be a smart ass but why would you put a stock iron manifold on a set of ported heads? sort of defeats the purpose to me.

Factory Stuff will out do or equal alot of aftermarket manifolds Idle to 3500-4000 RPM.

I didn't realize that a factory intake performed that well. I know in the past with the mopar and chevy stuff I have done, the factory intake was a weak link.

rmcomprandy wrote:

paulie wrote:remember usuable power = $$$$$. no matter how you look at it it is going to cost you to do it right.

not trying to be a smart ass but why would you put a stock iron manifold on a set of ported heads? sort of defeats the purpose to me.

BECAUSE ... the question is about dollars spent per performance gained NOT the most horsepower which can be achieved.

It totally depends upon how much someone is willing to spend for 10 ft/lbs of torque or horsepower at an RPM range he will rarely use; no one else can make THAT decision for him.

again I wasn't trying to stir the pot, but really trying to learn something here. I am sorry if it came across that way but I am all about saving a buck where I can. I see in a abobe post that the factory iron stuff works better than I expected, and I am very interested in this.


after re reading I do see I could have worded myself better and again not trying to come across as a ass but more just being curious.

Good morning Steve,
You have been all over two forums and Craigslist looking for answers. I understand 'being on a budget' or better yet no budget. My budget is when I get to lint, I am done. You have some good stuff. Is it the best? Probably not. But it is what you have. With the heads and cam you have, the choice of intake is not going to make that much difference. You are putting something togather to have fun. So have fun.
As far as buying and selling. If you are buying, it is gold. If you are selling, it is scrap. Power has always cost money.
You did not identify your application...what are you going to do with the truck. Are you going to run the state park trails or Silver Lake or street? If you are pulling or boggin', there are class rules that will require certain equipment.
Good luck with your truck and have fun!!

GaryS wrote:Good morning Steve,
You have been all over two forums and Craigslist looking for answers. I understand 'being on a budget' or better yet no budget. My budget is when I get to lint, I am done. You have some good stuff. Is it the best? Probably not. But it is what you have. With the heads and cam you have, the choice of intake is not going to make that much difference. You are putting something togather to have fun. So have fun.
As far as buying and selling. If you are buying, it is gold. If you are selling, it is scrap. Power has always cost money.
You did not identify your application...what are you going to do with the truck. Are you going to run the state park trails or Silver Lake or street? If you are pulling or boggin', there are class rules that will require certain equipment.
Good luck with your truck and have fun!!

Gary,
Been looking around quite a bit for info and advice. If budget was no object I would be building a 521 stroker like I originally had planned, but I really don't need that much engine anyway. I have a 400 with a Performer cam and intake with a 750 Edelbrock and headers in the truck now. It does most everything I need it to, but I could use a little more once in a while. I have had the 429 and everything to put it in my truck sitting around for a while now, so it seemed like the logical way to go to get something with a little more go. The headers rusted through last summer on the 400 so instead of spending $250 on headers for that I figured I would just put the 429 in.

The truck gets used for everything. It is driven on the street. It is driven on two-tracks. It climbs hills. Occasionally through the mud. Kind of a jack of all trades vehicle. I listed the rest of the specs in my first post. Like I said the 400 has done almost everything I have wanted it to do, but I just can't see all these parts I have to put the 429 in it just sitting here any longer. Thought I would see if I can get it in the truck with a minimal investment while still having a descent combination so that it will run pretty good. I ran the parts I have on my Desktop dyno and it has a pretty flat torque curve. The torque peaks about 2500 and the power peaks at 5000. The truck cruises at 55-60 at about 2700. Seemed like it would work good for what I do with it.

Like you said it is to have fun with and if I can get this 429 in it and running good for less than a grand it should make a little more fun. Thats what it's all about. Building it is half the fun for me anyway. If you can't have fun with your toys whats the point, right?

Steve

My question is what are the intakes of the heads ported to ? I just spent yesturday porting my Victor to cj size to match up with my BlueThunder heads. I only got the runners roughed in, I still have to do the plenum and then mill the carb flange. But my stuff is for a Comp Jet circle boat that is rarelly below 3500rpm. Ny '75 F100 had a 429 for years. It had a Crane 272 power max and a 600 Carter, it was fun on and off the street. Now it has a 464 same cam and a set of D3s that I ported and blended. The intakes are 429/460 gasket matched as well as the Stealth 8012. They have plenty size do run very good up to 5200. Now years ago they through on cj iron intakes on stock marine 460s, it was about 15hp over the stock 450 iron. But that was for a jet bout that doesnot hav to pull rpm up to 3k. They start at 3K when you hit the throttle. I also have a 8021 on a pair of D0 heads that are fully ported to cj size on a 466, my backup engine.

I hope this helps.

Jim

Since you have the Stealth, run it and see if the compromise is close to what you can live with... this is the "most cost effective per dollar already spent". If not, put the stocker on, or look for a used performer/rpm. You will still have the Stealth for your future build, or in case you change plans and upgrade before you get finished. Buying parts that won't work well with the combo can cost you extra money, but replacing them with others, especially if you don't have a plan to stick to, costs you even more.

Yes what ever you want... you have been on every place asking the same question hoping someone will give you the answer you want so YES.... you are right.... Do not worry about all these guys that have been there and done it...... what the Hell do they know? you are right go for it.......

JR Performance Motorsport wrote:My question is what are the intakes of the heads ported to ? I just spent yesturday porting my Victor to cj size to match up with my BlueThunder heads. I only got the runners roughed in, I still have to do the plenum and then mill the carb flange. But my stuff is for a Comp Jet circle boat that is rarelly below 3500rpm. Ny '75 F100 had a 429 for years. It had a Crane 272 power max and a 600 Carter, it was fun on and off the street. Now it has a 464 same cam and a set of D3s that I ported and blended. The intakes are 429/460 gasket matched as well as the Stealth 8012. They have plenty size do run very good up to 5200. Now years ago they through on cj iron intakes on stock marine 460s, it was about 15hp over the stock 450 iron. But that was for a jet bout that doesnot hav to pull rpm up to 3k. They start at 3K when you hit the throttle. I also have a 8021 on a pair of D0 heads that are fully ported to cj size on a 466, my backup engine.

I hope this helps.

Jim

The intakes aren't ported yet. Just the exhausts. Had not decided on intakes yet, so the intakes ports on the heads are still as-cast. Thanks for your info.

Steve