I was wondering if anybody here had installed a mini-ram style intake on a big small block motor or a big block motor before?

I know that the shorter intake runners on those kinds of intakes really open up the breathing on a small block motor and let the motor rev in to a higher rpm range than a stock long-tube-runner style TPI engine while still making good power and torque.

What if you had a 427, 434, 454 cubic inch engine and you wanted to install a short runner intake on it? Granted you would need to install matching componnets for a given application.

I was thinking more for fun street performance than anything else so I wouldn't necessarily be looking for a racing style motor. With a large cubic inch motor to play with an a short runner intake what other components would you guys think are needed to complement it?

I'm considering doing a project like this at some point when I have some extra income just to have a project car. I like my L98 TPI powered IROC and the torque that it has. I still would like to have a large motor car that would make more power and torque over a wider rpm range though.

I'd like to put this kind of engine in an 1991-1992 RS Camaro and make a sleaper out of it.

 

Because your goal is Mini-Ram style, I'd just go sheetmetal & pick runner lengths as you wish. If you have a lot of design features you know you want to replicate, start putting your drawings and drafts together or hop on a drafting software. That way you can be ready to have someone build it if you suddenly hit a nice budget change and have a long-block ready for it.

It's probably one of those things though, where effort put into a custom design EFI intake isn't going to provide meaningful gains over a 4bbl manifold w/ injector rails.

And to be fair, I'll shut up because I am dying to custom build an intake for a certain car but don't have the time or TIG to do it. So I know where you're coming from.

 

Ha yeah I understand what you mean. I know that I would need some kind of a custom intake set up to get a big block working.

I know there are a lot of guys that would just say go build a big cubic inch LS-style motor. I like the Gen 1 small block and our cars are already designed for the Gen 1 style engines so thats what I am going to stick with.

I could always start off with an aluminum block to save weight and still not have to fabricate a bunch of parts or purchase parts just to have and LS-style motor. I know they are very good engines and they make excellent power, its just I've choosen to stick with the old school Gen 1 style motor. I like them a so I'm going to stay with them.

Yeah thats what I'm having some trouble figuring out. A lot of the big blocks I've seen in thirdgens are LS-style or carbed. Those mini-ram style intakes work very well on a small block and let the motor really breath a lot higher in the rev band where a long tube runner TPI system starts running out of breath because thats not what it was designed for.

I know a big block motor will have a high intake air load requirement and I don't want to someday build a nice motor and then get stuck trying to have to fabricate or make a good intake that would allow it to breath freely.

That being said on GM's own crate 502 cubic inch ram jet motor they install basically a big block verson off a small block TPI system with the long runners on the intake track. GM saved money with that motor because the throttle body that they use is the one from out LB9 and L98 motors. That motor makes 502hp and 567 foot pounds of torque using the same 48mm throttle body that made its debut on the 1985 LB9 and L98 engines.

 

There isnt a miniram intake that i know of for bbc but there is an hsr style that works well. Friend has one on his 454 bbc. Lingenfelter superram for bbc. Its not like the tpi sbc version. Works good. Needs ported with larger heads to really shine

Miniram is great intake if you want to turn rpm on smaller cube motors. On something trying to turn over 6k and over 420 cube sbc, the mini is a restriction. Guy on vette forums built a 450 sbc that uses a custom ported miniram done by tony mamo at afr. Was running afr235 heads. Thing nosed over at 6 k rpm. Granted he wasnt running enough head or cam but that miniram was completely ported and epoxied to fit the airflow requirements the heads gave just wasnt enough. You are better off with a single plane intake designed for the big cubes and convert it to efi. Big cubes need a ton of airflow, more than most intakes out there provide. Need a serious port job and large runner big valve heads to pull rpm.

 

Thanks for the input. Yeah getting the block, rotating assembly, cam, heads, exhaust, etc. together and working well would not be a problem.

Yeah I would be worried about the air requirement the motor would have. Sounds like I will have to get or make a custom intake or port the hell out of an existing short runner intake for this proposed motor.

I didn't plan to make the motor rev past say 6,000rpm-6,500rpm. The size of a big block motor is going to make it make a large amount of torque even in the lower and midranges so I'm not too worried about that.

I've seen this company before in some car magazines. They make custom racing intake manifolds.

http://www.hogansracingmanifolds.com/sampleform.htm

 

Custom is always an option

 

There was a one off ZR2 version of the ZR1 during the early 90's that essentially did that very thing, almost like a prototype Holley Stealth Ram using a Tunnel Ram and custom plenum on a 454 big block. They really fudged the numbers in terms of performance though because they didn't want to hinder ZR1 sales, but the ZR2 did extremely well up top, and would have done better with even shorter runners. If money isn't an issue I would just go Accel Super Ram for the big block because it is only a tad longer than the miniram, and if money is an issue, like already mention, just go with a custom sheetmetal one that you can literally spot/tack weld together yourself, then pay someone to finish. Here is the Accel...;

http://sdparts.com/category/accel-df...ig-block-chevy

 

Hogan makes awsome stuff, but be prepared to spend a couple grand.

What is your goal?

A single plane with a big carb makes tons of power on a BBC.

I have a Hurricane intake on my 427, and it makes plenty of power, and I shift it a 8000rpm!

AS for efi, the Stelth Ram looking intake for BBC's as mentioned above is great. Great street car.

Gonna be hard to make a bbc in a 3rd gen a sleeper, unless you weld the hood shut! Hood clearance will be a concern as well. I had a bbc in my third gen with a Victor intake, a sunoco hood, and I could not fit a filter.

Any carbed street bbc I build has a single plane on it.

 

Yeah I thought about hood clearance as well. Thats why at first I thought I would be able to use a mini-ram intake. That intake is shorter in terms of height than the stock TPI system. I'm would like this engine to be fuel injected.

I would like a powerfull big block street motor. I was planning on the max rpm that I would have this motor turn was somewhere in the neighborhood of 6,500rpm-7,000rpm. I would like this engine to be street friendly and make over 500 pound feet of torque and hopefully over 450hp. I know thats not hard to do with a big block but selecting all the right components to get to that point is what I'm concerned about.

If clearance is an issue I could always get a cowl hood. How much higher does a big block sit in a thirdgen than a small block motor?

What about the k-member? I'm assuming I may need to custom fab some new mounts or purchase some if the small block ones don't work.

I'm new to the world of big blocks period so ha I'm sorry if I'm asking too many questions. I'm just trying to get a plan together for when I get enough money saved up I'll have a battle plan together that will work well for what I'm trying to do.

 

I got the idea to make a sleaper Camaro after I read this article.

Red With Rage – GM High Tech Performance January 1999

By paulhurykLeave a Comment
Categories: Magazine Articles
Tags: Camaro, TPI

Here is probably the scariest looking Camaro RS you might ever see – even in pictures it will suck your headlights out. This ride features a 422ci SBC with TFS heads, solid roller cam, Accel SuperRam intake, Tremec tranny, a TEC-II ECM and a 12 bolt rear. Coming in at over 3500lbs it runs 11.5 at 118mph on the motor and is daily driven! Enjoy!

http://thirdgenfbody.files.wordpress...1/htp-pg36.jpg

http://thirdgenfbody.files.wordpress...1/htp-pg37.jpg

http://thirdgenfbody.files.wordpress.../htp-pg382.jpg

http://thirdgenfbody.files.wordpress.../htp-pg392.jpg

 

My sunoco hood is a 3" cowl, and I still could not fit an air cleaner.
Clearance will be an issue with any intake.

The bbc sits high. Look at the swap threads about them.

For cheap, keep it under 5500rpm. 230-250 duration .600" lift, good intake and headers, and you got an easy 500hp.

You'll have to run some good headers, they will be costly, I ran Ed Quays, Hookers are too small.

Stock mounts and k member work fine.

I love BBC's have a wicked 427 in my 55, but they can be costly. Esp when swapping into a 3rd gen, expect to spend at least $500 on the headers alone, then you got to figure out some exhaust. Say bye bye to sleeper status.

 

Ha ha yeah I'm seeing this won't be much of a sleaper after all. Oh well, it still would be nice to have a big block under the hood though. That's good, at least I could save money by using the mounts that the car would already have.

All the changes that you have to make to the car are kind of what steered me away from wanting to do and LS-swap. I am also a big fan of the old school Gen 1 family of engines so thats the other reason why I am looking at a big block to reach my power goals for this kind of engine.

Ha ha yeah I am seeing this is costly but it should be worth it in the end. Yeah you have a point with respect to not having to rev a big block motor as high to get good power out of it compaired to a small block.

I'm just used to dealing with small blocks that are under 383 cubic inches. To get the equivalent power of a big block motor from a small block you are going to have to be willing to rev the motor over 6,000rpm and have all the necessairy supporting hardware so that it can live for a while at those higher rpm levels. With a big block motor that dosen't necssarily have to be the case.

Thanks for the advice on here guys and please keep it coming. For me this is like going to school for big block engine building.

 

Hood clearance


Good by heat and ac!

 

 

If you were going to build a big block with aftermarket heads then why stop at 450-500 hp? Most decently built street 454-468 bbc are around 600 hp or more on pump gas. That also can be done on a 406 sbc with the right parts. Big blocks have big cylinders and big intake ports and thus can make big hp.

450hp 500 lbft id just do a First tpi 383 sbc and be done

 

You can build a reliable 500hp big block a lot cheaper than a 500hp small block. And you can easily do it with stock casting heads on a BBC.

That said, for me, a small block is the way to go for a street third gen.

 

Thanks for the input. Yeah I could do a 383 TPI style small block but I just wanted to see if you could build a big block engine with a shorter intake to get more usable rpms out of it.

Over 500hp and over 500 pound feet of torque from a naturally aspirated motor would suit me just fine.

 

Of course you can get more rpm out of a BBC, with the right parts.

Like I said, I shift my 427 at 8000rpms! With a hurricane intake, huge solid roller with a rev kit and stud girdles.

 

Thats very cool. What does the rest of your drivetrain consist of?

 

Th400
9" rear with a spool.

 

Ha yeah I'm not surprised. Thats a real healthy engine that you have in your car.