Carb spacers

[Nima]

Hi There:

Would you explain to me what carburetor spacers do and how do determine if you need one and if you do, what size (height) you need?
Can a carb spacer effect the engine run rich or lean?
Sorry if this sound very simple question.

Thanks

[El Dorado Jim]

I use 1" plastic carb spacers to keep the carb cooler and help keep gas from boiling out of the carb, and also used to raise them to clear the manifold, if using an aftermarket carb on a stock manifold, etc. the spacer actually helps performance, doesn't make them run rich or lean, the jets do that

[Mr Handy]

I recommend looking up a book called
"how to hotrod a small block Chevy'. In the book is a ton of good information including how the intake and a spacer affect performance.

Amazon used books is my best friend for this kind of stuff.

[kx57]

Here are a couple of articles that may help:

http://www.hotrod.com/how-to/engine/carburetor-spacers/

http://www.badasscars.com/index.cfm/...rod/prd425.htm

What is the role of the truck? Street? Track? Both?

What intake are you currently running?

[Nima]

Thanks.
Truck has a 327 in it which came with it when I bought the truck many years ago. I don't know if it is original or not. The intake is edlebrock performer and the carb is edlebrock 1406. Truck is just street car.

[kx57]

I'm by no means an expert.

My understanding is that with an intake such as that you should have more than enough room in there without a spacer to meet reasonable (legal / close to legal speeds...) street applications.

I suppose the big question is what are you trying to get out of the truck, and why do you think you need the spacer?

In other words how is your current setup not meeting your needs?

[Gromit]

For folks who have the automatic a carb spacer will also change the angle of the detent cable to carburetor linkage.

So the one inch thick spacer sounds to me like it would be more work to sort out if it is an auto trans with the detent cable.

[davepl]

A fine idea in the summer if (a) you are boiling your fuel, or (b) decide you need more plenum volume.

It will, however, mess up your cold-start driveability because it can't warm the carb up. So you might wind up two-footing it for the first 10 minutes of driving, which I personally hate, so I invest in all of the right choke, pulloff, thermac, crossover, heat stove, and so on.

If you're not having fuel boiling issues, I wouldn't mess with it. Unless you've already lost your cold start systems, then you can't make it much worse anyway.

With a stock cam and stock carb and all the cold-start and driveability systems tuned properly, my truck runs more or less like it's a modern fuel injected truck. Except for the smell (no cats) you'd be hard-pressed to know it's "just" a carb. And I guess EFI with no cats would smell the same anyway! I bring this up only so that a carb spacer isn't the first step towards ruining driveability on something that might currently run well!

[57larry]

I always use a carb spacer on V8's