Okay, here goes. I am wanting to know what the little rectagular port is in the center iron below the two intake ports. I am wanting to use a '80 SA intake on a '83 engine. The intake gaskets are listed differently. I noticed on the '80, the intake only partially covers the port under the intake ports. However, the Racing Beat intake I have fully covers it. So, what's the deal?

 

On the earlier engines, that port was at the bottom of the housings for the thermal reactor. On the FBs it went though the intake for the egr.

 

i always wanted to know that

 

So---------- can I use the '80 intake on the '83 engine?

 

No.

Actually, it will fit, but the open port will cause an exhaust leak. You could go to the extra effort of making a block off plate/adapter. That would require using 2 gaskets, and could pose problems in sealing the coolant passages, unless you plug them with freeze plugs.

 

Oh yeah, even if you were to make an adapter plate to fit the intake to the engine, you would still have issues with the carb. The OMP linkage of the '83 carb will not clear the '80 intake, requiring the use of a spacer.

 

OK, what causes it not to leak on the '80 engine? The thermal reactor does not cover it up, and the intake only partially covers it. These pics are on the SA engine.









I filled the opening up with soapy water, and all it did was run back out of the hole. Nowhere else.

 

OK, after talking with Robert at Rotary Shack, he says the intake will work on the '83. He told me to fill the hole with JB weld. I am going to use a '79 carb I have from my friends car. The OMP rod seems to move and work freely with the '80 intake. I am useing the SA spacer with the the plastic trimmed off around it. So far everything seems to fit pretty well.

 

Why would you want an SA intake? It'll kill your gas millage without any perceivable advantage.

 

What the frack are you babbling about?

The '79 and '80 intakes don't have the shutter valve, which means that they flow much better than the later '81-85 intakes.

 

+1

 

On the '80 engine, that port is already plugged. The carb issue I was refering to, is only with the later carb on early intakes. Obviously an SA carb will clear an SA intake. It's not the OMP rod, it's the linkage on the carb, where the OMP rod hooks up to.
Filling the hole with JB Weld is another option, but be careful to ensure it does not run out into the exhaust, and possibly into the engine. That port comes into contact with the exhaust ports, as I understand.
If you take all these factors into account, and work around them, the SA intake does indeed have better runners, especially the rear primary runner.

 

There are some 2 part steel and/or aluminum puttys that will work better than the JB Weld to plug the port. You must remove all of the old carbon and have the bonding surface clean for this to hold. Make sure the filler is rated at 500+ degrees.

 

Ok, I have came up with the best salution to my delima. I have a friend (robs 7) that works at a machine shop. We are just going to build up the bottom of the SA intake and use a FB intake gasket. As far as the "gas mileage" comment, I don't think me going through this much trouble to do a one off blow through setup, was ever a consideration. The SA intake is by far better then the FB. I wanted to do this turbo setup where it looks like a factory piece, with the driveability to go along with it. Most of the aftermarket exhaust manifolds put the turbo up a lot higher, and alot further forward. Then you have three feet of exhaust pipe running beside the engine. Then most people wonder why they have overheating issues. I have put alot of forethought in designing this setup. "Anyone can turbo an engine, but making it streetable requires alot of planning and design" Quote from Corky Bell.