Offenhauser vs Clifford intake

[focusedontheprize]

Usually spend most my time on the 47-54 side and needed to venture away for a question...

I have a '49 Chevy 3100 and stuffed a stock 292 in it a few months ago. Loving the inline 6 setup and am looking to spruce it up with some bolt-ons. I have been researching about intakes - mainly the Clifford and Offenhausers and am looking to see if anyone has any personal experience with them. My search over the weekend resulted in hearing that traditional wisdom says the Offy is better for low-end torque and is better for a daily driven vehicle where the Clifford is better geared toward mid to high RPM range.

The 292 is completely stock at the moment. Eventually down the road maybe I might punch it, but it is a daily driven truck so I am looking to keep it mild.

Has anyone found any main differences to them? I know the runners are a bit different, but haven't found any real articles on comparing them.

Thanks.

[nascarguy320]

I have a 68 with a 250 motor and i just installed the clifford intake and headers with dual carbs. its a very nice set up.

[geezer#99]

The clifford mounts the carb like normal. Front to back.
The offy mounts the carb sideways.
Some clifford's have built in heat plate for colder running climates.
The offy requires a bolt on heat plate.

[focusedontheprize]

Originally Posted by geezer#99

The clifford mounts the carb like normal. Front to back.
The offy mounts the carb sideways.
Some clifford's have built in heat plate for colder running climates.
The offy requires a bolt on heat plate.

Thanks for the information. I thought I read about the sideways mounting of the carb for the Offy.

On my current stock setup I am running a heat plate from Tom Langdon so I am plumbed for that.

Thanks again Geezer.

[56HOTRODDER]

Tom Langdon is THE MAN for these setups!!!!!

['68OrangeSunshine]

I have been running the Offy p/n:5416 4 barrel intake on 2 successive 292s in my '68 C/10 since 1978. Both with a Holley 4160 8007 390 CFM and an Edelbrock [AFB] 1404 500 CFM. Runs great. I ran both carbs "sideways" with the primaries facing the drivers fender -- makes for better, more even fuel/air distribution, IMO. Why should "normal" for a V8 be considered a prefferable configuration on an L6?
I don't use carb-heat since I live in the desert and it's hot, mostly. I have Clifford headers, also since 1978, and like their products, but I never ran a Clifford intake, so I can't comment from experience.

[focusedontheprize]

@56Rodder: Yes he is. I spoke to him earlier and he is a wealth of knowledge and is a huge help.

@'68OrangeSunshine: I was following you in a couple of the threads and saw that you had ran the combination before and made the upgrade to the Edelbrock after the Holley.

Thanks for all the feedback. After all the info and speaking with Tom - I am going to go with the Offy and 390 I believe.

[leddzepp]

I've been very pleased with the Clifford intake and the Holley 390 combo. Used it on all my Jeeps in the past.

[Scottcoda]

I just got done doing my research and went with the clifford.. I liked the intergrated water jacket and the open peluim for the forward mounting of the carb, also the pros at Clifford we more than happy to talk to me on the phone when I needed a little advice on which way I wanted to plumb the water jacket. I do not believe offy has any support.. And this is just my option but I prefer the look of the Clifford.
Check out Inliners.org then click on the tech link and then the link for throttle linkage for some great info on mounting a carb to a offey if you go that way.

http://www.inliners.org/

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by focusedontheprize

@56Rodder: Yes he is. I spoke to him earlier and he is a wealth of knowledge and is a huge help.

@'68OrangeSunshine: I was following you in a couple of the threads and saw that you had ran the combination before and made the upgrade to the Edelbrock after the Holley.

Thanks for all the feedback. After all the info and speaking with Tom - I am going to go with the Offy and 390 I believe.

'Focused-': I ran my R8007 Holley for 25 years. When I rebuilt a fresh 292 in 2005, I had recarbed the Holley. It ran OK for the 500 mile break-in, then after a backfire, it just wouldn't set up right again -- new power valve [8.5 " Hg.] or not. The local hot rod shop guys said my baseplate must be warped after 250,000 miles, but the cost for a replacement part wasn't much less than a whole new carb. My "Holley Guy" was going thru a painful divorce and couldn't help me much, so I went with the Edelbrock. I had never. in all that time, mastered the knack of working on my own Holley. The Carter AFB design however was idiot proof, as I had found on a couple of trucks with V8s and AFBs. Federal Mogul had bought out Carter and dropped making carbs after '99, so Edelbrock was the only game in town. A 400 CFM AFB would've been a closer match to the Holley 390 CFM, but they were not available. Really, I think I like the Edelbrock more than I did the Holley, and a backfire doesn't kill a $12 power valve every time.
Prior to deciding to rebuild, I had done 2 things:1] converted to a cable throttle [GM c.'72 style] and 2] bumped up the 390's accelerator pump from stock (35cc?) to 50cc. With the old Rube Goldberg bellcrank on the Holley, I never got near WOT. Also it would jam, lose little hairpins, ice up etc. always at the worst possible time. New cable = Zero Defects. The 50cc was just a lot of fun.
Oh, and Nice Color on your '49. Is that "Omaha Orange?"