thoughts on the edelbrock sp2p manifold

-

glhx

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2009
Messages
690
Reaction score
48
Location
Middle Tennessee
planning on running a (580 cfm total) dual 2 bbl set up. this will need a strong vacuum signal to work well and from what my buddy says...i should run the sp2p manifold . he says i will get better mileage, more low end torque, and will have a power band from idle to 4000 rpm. i cruise it and usually never go fast

the car has 2.76:1 gears and a stock 1976 low compression 318 engine
late 60's a body
 
it's about the looks over performance....not much kick to the 318...i was told the performer doesn't pull enough vacuum. if i bumped up the cam to a stock 340 cam and ran some 360 heads that flow more i could go with the performer and may do so in the future.....but this old vintage intake is a high velocity intake with really small runners (smaller than stock) but moves the air a lot faster....and .......it's just different...as is a dual 2 1973 carters (with metering rods) on a muscle car. i will go with a progressive set up....trying to now figure out the idle circuit....in concept, if i used all 4 idle screws, i question.....will this act like a holley 4 corner idle set up. or i can shut the back one off and just use the front primary carb for the idle. dont know what to do for the squirters. thought about removing the accelerator pump to the back carb and just use jets back there. going to run 2 carter bbd's or rochester 2g's. the carters would be harder to tune with the metering rods but would run better and have a smoother fuel curve. i hate to but i will have to use a carb spacer. vintage speed sells an adapter for a 4 to 2x2 set up for $85. Then the matter is just figuring out a custom linkage and trying to get it to work

if anyone can find a 318 street master let me know.....i think it's a better intake. the weiand 3000 is as well so that is an option
 
There is a reason Edelbrock quit making the SP2P it doesn't work that well.

I have used lots of Peformer intakes on 318's and even put one on a 273 and the work quite well. The "regular" Performer intake has ports pretty much the same size as the 318 heads that is why it works well.

Chuck
 
will i have any vacuum issues with the performer......i was thinking the same thing and the guy who helped me with the set up design told me to only use it only if i upgrade the cam and heads. i know the performer is a better intake manifold.....the reason they stopped making them is that they had detonation issues when running 9.0 compression and since they were edelbrock, people thought they were performance manifolds instead of gas crunch manifolds. they would buy it and it wouldnt work with anything other than stock. which is all i will ever run with a 318. i would use a 360 for performance...or a 340.
the off road crowd is 50 50 on the sp2p for low end torque. they never run more than 4000 and i usually wouldn't either. the performer was rated at 6000. my 318 will never see 5000 much less 6000. thoughts on this?
 
I would think the performer would be better. I'm running one on a very mild 318,they are good intakes,,,just an opinion,,you know what they about those :-D
 
If you were having vacuum issues with the performer, don't blame the intake design. Maybe that exact intake is machined or something else is wrong, but not the intake design.
Also, just because the rating is to 5500 rpm doesn't make it a bad choice for your engine. It is capable to that rpm and if your not going that high in rpm doesn't make it a bad intake o a wrong one.
Baseing the intake on this is bad thinking.
The SP2P is exactly what you said is was, a gas crunch intake designed for more mileage.
 
What's aluminum get per pound at a recycler?

That's another edelbrock manifold that should have never been poured.
 
I put an SP2P on my '89 D100 (318 TBI) and it made a large improvement in driveability (which on these trucks was notoriously poor) and a measurable, consistent improvement in fuel economy, compared to the stock iron intake.
 
Think about how the runners create that high velocity... restriction. The manifold does not "move" the mixture faster, nor will it "make" more vacuum. Vacuum at idle is a function of cam duration and overlap. If you want strong vacuum, don't go nuts on the cam.

Since it sounds like you have the SP2P now, waste a gasket and bolt it on. Use a 500 CFM four barrel and enjoy near stock type performance.

If you don't have the manifold yet, buy a used Performer off eBay, or use a factory iron intake, you'll be happier in the long run. The performer is superior in every way. Add a 600 CFM carb and enjoy a nice upgrade.

If you want to run dual 2 barrels, get your head examined. Even if you insist upon reinventing the wheel, why start with a square rock?
 
What's aluminum get per pound at a recycler?

That's another edelbrock manifold that should have never been poured.
It made sense in the gas crunchs and did exactly what it was advertised for. I have had been there done thats praise this intake for it's gas milage adding abilty.
There is no performance gain in this intake what-so-ever!

I put an SP2P on my '89 D100 (318 TBI) and it made a large improvement in driveability (which on these trucks was notoriously poor) and a measurable, consistent improvement in fuel economy, compared to the stock iron intake.
LOL, I know it, I know it!

Think about how the runners create that high velocity... restriction. The manifold does not "move" the mixture faster, nor will it "make" more vacuum. Vacuum at idle is a function of cam duration and overlap. If you want strong vacuum, don't go nuts on the cam.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

(Exactly!) The intake gas some serious bends in it killing anything and everything.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

If you want to run dual 2 barrels, get your head examined. Even if you insist upon reinventing the wheel, why start with a square rock?

Exactly again!
 
i dont have an intake manifold yet. I am getting information and opinions from people who run 318 engines. i just want to make sure that when i put 2x2 on there it will run ok. i am not really looking for performance gain at all. I want to cruise and go on road trips. i also want something sort of different, and this is what i had in mind. i have had plenty of 4 barrel carburetors and i just want something different. an old stock 318 with a top end that looks old and different. gas mileage is not a bad thing in this case. I know the performer is a good intake and there is room to bbuild the engine better with it. there is one sitting on my sbc 350 with a 4 barrel demon and it works well. I want a gas mileage engine. I have a really cool glh turbo omni that takes care of my speed crave.

so right now im looking at the performer, the sp2p, and the street master. i want the car to run well, idle well, and cruise with the 2:76 gears and look cool

the 560cfm 2 carb and the stock cam. will the performer do what i need it to? I know know for sure the sp will give me good mileage but fall on its face at 4000. whats the performer going to do?
 
I agree...2-2 barrels are asking for trouble, BUT...I had an SP2P 4 barrel intake on a '67 273-2bbl engine and it ran great. These motors are no HP monsters anyway, but it was a VAST improvement over the obnoxious 2 barrels that came stock on these engines.

YMMV...
 
No really, how are you going to put 2 carbs one 1 intake? There used to be multiple 2V intakes in the 50's but the WCFB and 4160 Holley made those pretty much pointless.

If you insist on this, use whatever manifold is cheapest. It won't be your stumbling block to performance or economy. 2x2bbl will not run OK, it will be a headache.
 
The Performer will perform well. It is a newer intake that replaced earlier performance intakes.
Your cam is going to fall on it's face killing any performance potentail after 4000 anyway, Why do you keep splitting hairs over nothing but stupid comparo's?

Your 2bbl. is also rated differently tha a 4bbl carb. STOP pointing to it like the rating of it means something, like close to what a4bbl. is.

AGAIN, your young aint ya?

Young or not, you'd figure you would take the advice of sveral peoples same recomendations not to mention the been there and done that crew that knows what there talking about. Because you sure don't!
 
i am young....and experimenting and learning. I am not dead set on anything......just looking for opinions and taking in all the information posted here. i am looking at the performer 2176 and a 600 to 625 demon carb....the description says it is for a 318/360. these ports are different. my 318 ports are smaller then the 360 and this manifold is cut to 360/340 size. is it still beneficial to run this manifold
 
OMG! I'm out!

No more replies from me.

Do what you want.
ask questions until someone tells you what you want to hear since that's what your loking for.

Have fun. Later.........much!
 
i am young....and experimenting and learning. I am not dead set on anything......just looking for opinions and taking in all the information posted here. i am looking at the performer 2176 and a 600 to 625 demon carb....the description says it is for a 318/360. these ports are different. my 318 ports are smaller then the 360 and this manifold is cut to 360/340 size. is it still beneficial to run this manifold

No, dont run a 340/360 port-size intake. The runner alignment can cause problems.
 
i am young....and experimenting and learning. I am not dead set on anything......just looking for opinions and taking in all the information posted here. i am looking at the performer 2176 and a 600 to 625 demon carb....the description says it is for a 318/360. these ports are different. my 318 ports are smaller then the 360 and this manifold is cut to 360/340 size. is it still beneficial to run this manifold


I have a 2176 Performer that I just got and a Holley 600 that I am gonna use on my stock 318. It has fairly small runners that I am pretty sure will line up with the 318's. This will be a good combo for cruising and decent fuel economy, or so I'm told.
 
I got an SP2P-318 for ya...$50 bucks and the ride. The Performer 318/360 is a 318 port sized intake out of the box, but can be made to 360 port size in about 5 minutes with a die grinder and a carbide cutter. The SP is an awesome LOW RPM intake, like a jeep or a truck. I dont see much performance (as we define it) potential in a rod. Might be just what you are looking for.
 
My Dad had a '77 Dodge D-150 with a 318 that never did run very well. He drove it for many years not being satisfied with it's performance but he would never let me work on it to any extent. Then, one day one of his chemistry students bought a used Chrysler Cordoba and and told him it came with an aluminum manifold in the trunk. He asked if my Dad wanted and for some strange reason my Dad said he'd take it. He asked me if I had a carb that would fit it and asked if I'd install it for him. I had an R1850AAS in my cabinet so I installed his SP2P and that carb. After tuning it the net effect of the change was absolutely ZERO! It made a little more noise at full throttle but had no additional torque , power, gas mileage...nothing!! A waste of time and a gasket set. It should have been left in the trunk it was found in. About a year after that my Dad and Mom went on a vacation to the east coast in their Buick. The local speed shop had ordered a Crower cam for a guy and accidentally ordered the wrong number so they had this mild cam, called a Performance Level 2, on the shelf they wanted to sell cheap so I made him an offer and he took it. He also had a used Offenhauser Dual Port 360 manifold to part with cheap so I picked it up too. I drug them over to my Dad's house and began some unauthorized Dodge work. I installed the cam kit, put in a slightly used 340 timing chain (which probably had more effect on the outcome than anything) and the Offenhauser DP360 with the R1850AAS back on top. Pulled the dist. and welded up the slots to allow a decent amount of initial timing (which probably had the next most effect) and tuned it up. I parked it back in the same spot my Dad left it. Shortly after my Dad returned he called me and asked what I had done to his pickup. I kind of played dumb for a while but he was ecstatic that his pickup ran like he thought it should have for years so I fessed up. After he drove it for a while it had more torque, more power, ran smoother and got better gas mileage.
All this dialog is to tell you that installation of an SP2P is a waste of time and a gasket set, and to tell you that with some minor additional work there are manifolds that would be a much better alternative. Ie performer, Offy Dual port 360, etc.etc.
 
I have seen that Crower level 2 cam work.12 years ago,in a 72 360 valiant,it went mid to low 13s @103.Good cam grind.
 
Ive been running this for a while now with the dual 2 bbl and it feels the same as a stock intake with lower low end....So far it does what i wanted it to do...looks different. I was never looking for performance gains. I was just bored with the status quo....performer + 600. Performer is a great intake and 600 vac secondary is a good choice for it.

The 2x2 is progressive with the back carburetor being just used as a vacuum secondary and kicking in at ½ throttle.

Its a dog flooring it right off idle but it runs well after that. I didnt do any further tuning to get that off idle problem worked out because it wasnt important. the real kicker is that its 2 carters...run back to back. with it set up that way and the weird linkage set up..it looks like folk art lol. I could have run a couple of holley 2 jets but...it was too normal. this is just something i play around with. The sp2p was stupid cheap and my adapter bolted right to it..performers were more expensive.

As far as the gas mileage goes....the 2x2 gets horrible mileage....i get consistently 12mpg....ive heard of 20mpg out of a 318 but i have no idea what a stock 318 is supposed to get in a dart with 276 gears
 
The SP2P was strictly a light weight intake for stock performance engines. It doesn't really give you much better vacuum signal than an LD4B. If you need vacuum, put a canister between your vacuum source and whatever you need vacuum to. Get yourself an LD4B and run one of the Eddy 635 CFM carbs. JMO
 
-
Back
Top