One part of my build that I'm questioning is the carb and intake manifold. The 390cfm Holley is the smallest 4 barrel to fit on the Offenhauser, but when you run the math on it the max RPM that would justify that size is closer to 6,000 rpm. So I'm wondering if even the 390cfm is over carbed for a street build? I know I see a lot of guys throw 750cfm carbs on a small block Chevy for the street, which makes more peak power but at the expense of power for everything below that. I'd rather have as much power off idle on up and a lower peak power, because for a street driven car that is just more fun. Am I better served with a 2 barrel? If you use a 2 barrel, should the stock truck intake manifold just be used?
After I posted this I saw CNC-Dude's post about producing a 2 barrel manifold. I suppose that might be an option too. Although it won't fit the Holley 2300 350cfm won't fit the initial manifold design. It also uses the 5 1/8" air filter. Since the factory thermal air filter uses a 10"x2" filter which the math says is plenty of diffuser for intake, and it has a cold air ducting already, I'm thinking it would be a budget friendly option to use it with a 2 barrel that will fit it. So the Holley wouldn't be able to use it. Unless a smaller 4 bbl Thermac air cleaner was used on V8s or V6s that could be swapped in and use the factory ducting. With the Camaro the stock air cleaner is just barely clearing under the hood, and there's not much clearance between the outside edge and the valve cover either, which really limits air cleaner options.
