Just getting opinions on what everyone is using. Will I need a drop base filter to clear the hood?

 

"Best" for what?

The stock intake & carb use a drop base air cleaner. A Performer raises the air cleaner by about half an inch.

 

Overall power, I'd say. I see ones from idle-5500 rpm, some 1000-6000 rpm. I see multiple maufacturers. I don't need anything flashy, just something to bolt on with no hassle. The car will be a DD in the warmer months, occ. autocross duty.

 

Select a manifold based on your particular setup, or projected setup. If your looking for a nice spreadbore manifold, overall, for a decent sized cam and ported heads, or even if your just looking to add something to a stock cam and heads, then I would recommend the Weiand Street Warrior (8125). As for advertised idle-RPM, you can always port it to up it's RPM ability....;



.... or if you need to retain the EGR for emissions, go with the Weiand Action Plus (8000);



Or you can do what I did when I ran a quadrajet, I got my hands on a Weiand Stealth (non-spreadbore), and opened it up to allow the secondaries on the quadrajet to open, but I wouldn't recommend that as any manifold can get the job done once you know how to port them properly. Velocity is the key. Good luck....

 

If its going on your 305, its not worth doing yet. The stock aluminum one isnt that bad. If its going on the "355 in the works", then the one you want depends on the power band of your engine. Mostly the rpm range of the cam you use. Heads also have recommended rpm ranges. They should all be picked to match.

I can say that this air cleaner http://www.summitracing.com/parts/TRD-2195 with a 14x3 filter and half inch neck spacer (the neck needs to be tall enough to clear the wire connectors on top of the carb) will barely clear in an 85 TA if you use an edelbrock performer.

 

The intake needs to match the cam. The choices are as listed above, along with a spreadbore Performer RPM being available. I wouldn't even consider using a squarebore intake with a squarebore-to-spreadbore adapter.

 

I used a Weiand Action plus. It worked really well with the Crane Compucam 2040 I had in the 305....has EGR provisions if you need to smog, and comes with a block off plate if you don't. They say it's good from idle to 6000 RPM. I have one sitting in my garage.

EDIT: And if you notice by the pics above, a spread or squarebore carb will fit it, although as you can see by the plenum, spreadbore would seem to be optimal..

 

I changed my stock intake for a Performer EGR back in 1991 and noticed a 10hp gain by doing that one change. Keep in mind there were no other options at that time to clear the hood. A 305 can pick up some power with an intake manifold.

Today there are many options to pick from. How about this - Weiand makes a Team G single plane that has EGR and can supply enough airflow for a 406...

 

While I was ordering my carb rebuild kit, the guy said I could use the stock 305 intake for the new 355. He said I could cut the dividers to open it up more. Thoughts?

 

Sure. You can just leave it stock too. It depends on your goals.

You really need to know where your engine is going to be making it's power to determine what the best intake for it should be. Unless I missed it, you haven't provided any info on this.

 

I've had the 86 and 87 stock intakes. I've had the 86-down and 87-up Performer EGR intakes as well as the ZZ3/ZZ4 intake.

The best intake for a 305 w/ mild upgrades is the ZZ4 intake. Stock 305, I wouldn't bother.

The only reason my '88 LG4 got a Performer EGR was that the stock one had clogged EGR passages.

 

The engine is: Roller block 355, Aluminum heads, 190cc runners, 64 cc chambers. Cam: .480, .230 lift at .050. Flat top pistons.
Goal is to have good broad power and driveability. At this point I'm on a strict budget because the tranny needs a rebuild, which is why I thought I could save a little cash by reusing the stock manifold.