Also ran across this article on intake restoration...

http://www.tachrev.com/JeffLilly/tri_power.pdf

Schurkey,

"I've teased myself over the years--there's an aluminum foundry in a town not so far from here--and at various times I've wondered about having some "interesting" parts cast there."

Who is the foundry??

I mighta made a Sales Engineering call on them years ago??

pdq67

Best Car Insurance | Auto Protection Today | FREE Trade-In Quote

Paul..

Winters Foundry that did the Chevy stuff way back when is in Louisville, Ohio about 10 miles from me. They have switched names many times, Keiser Aluminum was one, but they did manifolds and heads there in the day. The reason i know is because a local speed shop, back in the day had a deal with an employee there for BBC heads. This was late 70s or so. If i remember they got away with it for a while. Then got busted, around 5 guys went to jail. They were sliding stuff under the fence. Oh its true ! !

Question for those of you with tri-powers installed.

Based on what I have read, these intakes were not made with matched/tuned length runners so they fit under the hoods.

If that's accurate, does anyone have any info on that or what you might be able to do to better match the runner lengths (i.e.- adding a spacer on the ft and middle carbs to match the rearmost carb height)?

Anyone have a 67 tri-power set up on a 70 with a cowl hood that could give us an idea of the hood clearances?

Ok everyone. The Corvette mag showed up and there's engine porn in it.

Here's the details:

4 blt 454 block .030 over
Lunati Pro-Series 469 rotating assy with am 11.5:1 CR
AFR 315 CNC'd heads
Lunati HR Part # 50299 (ran search on Lunati site-not currently available) .650 lift at valve in 255 deg ex 263 lobe sep in. 110 deg ex 118
Comp RRkrs 1.7 ratio

Ran Eddy Strip Dominator w/Holley 950 HP carb. Best run 641 corrected HP @ 6400 RPM/603 lb-ft tq @ 5100 [email protected] 33 deg adv.

Ran Eddy RPM Air-Gap Best @ 28 degrees of advance w/ 80 primary jets and 81/82 staggered secondaries. 643 [email protected] 6400 RPM 594 lbs-ft TQ @ 5100 RPM

Tri-Power

After swapping to lighter springs in the secondary carbs (article does not disclose which part #), bumping the timing (again no reference #) 65's in the primary carb 80's in the secondaries netted 655 HP @ 6200 RPM/ 591 lbs-ft TQ @ 5100 and 464 lbs-ft TQ @ 3900.

Seems the smaller carbs were holding back the motor. Builder suggested popping on an 1150 Dominator to exceed 655 HP...maybe 700 (but what MPG???...4?)

Article says there is a continuation of the story in the June 2006 Corvette Enthusiasts mag. I checked w the pub...not available. Phooey!

Heard back from Tony Mamo, who was quoted in the article. Still nay saying the results and admitting no memory of the article or conversation.

Who do we have that can give us more info?

FWIW,

I have been searching the Web for tri-power "anything" and have recently come across some interesting "deals" if anyone is interested. (if you are PM me and I'll send the links).

I am guessing that the current economic conditions might/will have a significant lowering of these set-ups.

A person on another site has taken a 68 tri-power set up in trade for some work and is looking for $1500 for the set up (needs restoring).

Found another that has 2 sets of "new" repro Holley carb packages for about $1200 (thats about $400 cheaper than the Corvette sites for the 3 of them).

One of the So. CA (like San Diego, begins with a "C") based Tri-power specialists has a 68/69 set up with carbs (that need rebuilding) and an air cleaner needs proper base, about $2500.

Also got a referral to this guy for resto services on an intake http://www.z28camaro.com/index.html

As I was cruising the site, he's got access to new repro sbc cross ram manifolds made in the US at Aacco Cast Products, 401 North Aacco Trails, Benson, AZ 856025, phone 800-321-4038.

Wonder if they make the tri-power repops too? Anyone near there that can check it out?

Lastly it appears that the repop manifolds sold by that same So CA guy are made and machined in the US, according to his eBay store. Wondering if they are being done in AZ too.

"Heard back from Tony Mamo, who was quoted in the article. Still nay saying the results and admitting no memory of the article or conversation."

All I'm gonna say is, "Tony, Tony, Tony"!!!

pdq67

Best Car Insurance | Auto Protection Today | FREE Trade-In Quote

AACCO CAST PRODUCTS INC is in the Aluminum Foundries industry in BENSON, AZ. This company currently has approximately 1 to 5 employees and annual sales of Under $500,000.
Contact Information

401 N AACCO TRL
BENSON, AZ 85602
Phone: (520) 586-9868
Key Facts
Location Type: Branch
Industry: Aluminum Foundries
Sales Range: Under $500,000
Employees: 1 to 5

Talk about a SMALL job shop!!

It will be a miracle if they aren't importing and boot-legging them!!

pdq67

Best Car Insurance | Auto Protection Today | FREE Trade-In Quote

??????

Fred,

Tony and I chatted w/ me asking him, (AFR), to consider making LS- type heads that would bolt on our old cast-iron, L-48 type blocks and I bugged him enough that he (TO ME) got irate at me is why I say "Tony, Tony, Tony" is all.

I have since e-mailed Brodix, but haven't heard back from them.

I'm not talking about identical LS- heads, but rather cathedral ported heads that flow say almost the same as the Ls- heads and that will still fit our old blocks as well as an intake that will fit them too.

GM stopped at this when they didn't carry the Vortec head through to this design b/c I figure they said to hell w/ the old motors even tho they made maybe 100,000,000 of them!!

I honestly think that somebody will make some money making a head like this as long as they don't try to rape everybody to try to recoupe their ROI back too quick.

An example of this is no more than E-brock and their now defunct Q-Jet carb line!

pdq67

Best Car Insurance | Auto Protection Today | FREE Trade-In Quote

Ok, got all that and I hear ya.




Now back to tri-power stuff.

I called the dyno guy from the Corvette Enthusiast article, Don Dixon. Real nice guy. We spoke about the tests.

He commented again that EVERYONE was expecting the tri-power set-up to s**k.

Paraphrased, he said, "That's why Holley and Edelbrock gave me all of the other manifolds and carbs for free. They even gave me brand new 2300's because they didn't want any blame it on the old carbs issues."

"When I was young, I couldn't get free stickers. Now that I'm older and everyone thinks I know more than them because they're writing an article about it, I got more free stuff than I knew what to do with it...heads, cam, internals...everything I needed for the build except the tri-power manifold and the block. That's some sweet deal."

"I guess they (Holley and Edelbrock) were both hoping to blow past the tri-power with this new stuff. I know I sure was expecting that. Surprised the s**t out of me that they didn't. Surprised me even more they put all of that in the magazine too."

I asked about the carb mods. (basically all little things,accel pump cam, jets, lighter secondary springs) He said, "I didn't do the carbs. The guy you want to talk with is the engine builder, Jerry Luck. He did all of the mods. Tough to get a hold of. Leave a message if he's not there and use my name."

So, call I did. Another great guy. We spent about 40 min. on the phone.

He restores and modifies muscle car carbs for a living. We talked about the motor, cam, heads, engine parts, my builder, Harold, the car, trans (he REALLY like the Richmond over the Tremec. As he put it, "who in their right mind would buy a trans that made you cut up half of the car to make it fit when there's another one that's as good or better that bolts right in. All ya gotta do is modify the tranny mount a little and fart around with the shifter handle"), gear ratios, the 70's and yes, even the carbs.

He was actually reluctant to give up his "secrets" at first. Guess he decided I was a car guy after-all.

Here's what he did:

"I disassembled the carbs and machined the cast mating surfaces so the seal would be perfect (body, metering plate). You don't necessarily have to do that, but I have to, because that's what I do.

Then I smoothed all of the casting seams inside the throats with a small hand grinder. I don't think that made a single HP more, but ya never know and it doesn't take much to do it. You'd be surprised how much all the little things can add.

I opened the metering plate from 68 thousandths to 78 thousandths (I asked how hard. Piece of cake. Just use the right size drill), 65's in the primary jets and 80's in the secondaries, changed the squirters from the stock 21's to 28's, changed the accelerator pump cam to a 240 in the #1 position, keeping the WOT clearance of 15 thousandths, and used the yellow secondary springs. I used the 5.5 power valves, but I would suggest that with your combo to keep the stock 6.5 valves. You've got a stick. The one we did had an automatic. Try 'em both if you want. If you can feel a difference when you drive it, keep the ones that work the best."

"Everyone said to use a 50 cc pump...bulls**t, 30's plenty. The secret's in the squirters and the accel pump cam."

Another little item that I thought was pretty neat were his comments on the hyd roller used in the test.

"They all told me I was as dumb as a rock to try a hyd roller. They all said it would crap out at 5500 RPM. We ran that sucker to 7 grand, no float, no break-up, and it was still over 600 HP. All Lunati parts, still all together after 2 plus years of street driving...and he beats the p**s out of it."

Hope you enjoyed all of that.

Stay tuned...

I may have some more tri-power goodness to share with you in a few more days.

Gene,

You about to get a nut off??

B/c I am!!

He, He!!

pdq67

Best Car Insurance | Auto Protection Today | FREE Trade-In Quote

Who's Gene?

There's a boatload of readers on this post. Reader count went up 250 in a couple of hours.

Why don't you folks do a bit of posting here?