running cross ram on the street

[gdaddy01]

pros and cons of running eldelbrock cross ram on the street , 1962 ranchero , 1961 390 hp , 270s cam , four speed , 3.00 gear , going to 3.5 , straight axle , stock hood while running elderbrock two fours inline , close but hood will close with no problems . I have a tear drop hood I could run . I drive the truck about 3000 miles per year now . 12 -17 mpg .  any thoughts ?

[My427stang]

No real issues, but it may take some additional initial timing, a relatively quick curve, and sometimes a bit more pump shot. 

The carbs cannot run progressive, and with more pump shot you may get worse mileage, but they run pretty well.

I cannot imagine that you'd get away without the scoop.

FYI - I set one up on a Mustang with a 416 with CJ heads, headers, and a stock CJ cam, with a C-6 and 3.50s.  It did everything just as nice as it did with the F427 intake that was on it before.  The more aggressive timing curve offset a little off idle lean condition and added pump shot did the same

[jayb]

When I dyno tested that manifold I had a lot of problems with it on my lower horsepower 428CJ (410 HP) engine.  Couldn't get it tuned right no matter what I did, and it would spit and cough during every dyno pull.  I was very disappointed with it.  However, when I tested it again on my 390 stroker (500 HP), it ran beautifully, and made a boatload of torque.  I wouldn't be afraid to run it on a higher HP engine, but as Ross says you can figure on some carb tuning...

[Tommy-T]

I ran the M/T cross ram for a long time on my '56 Thunderbird.

Like Ross said, a bunch of initial in the distributor, even locked out will really help. 50cc squirters on 1850 Holleys and jet to taste. A cam with wide lobe centers, like 112 or so really helps with reversion at idle.

Mine drove fine and didn't do anything weird on the street...but a ported Streetmaster and 3310 Holley worked a little better.

[gdaddy01]

thanks guys , I didn't know if it would be a nightmare on the street or not , all for the sake of looks . good info , just what I was looking for , real world knowledge   

[Falcon67]

FWIW I run two Ed 600s on the street/strip on a small 302 and a tunnel ram.  They do work well and are fairly easy to tune.  You may end up 1~2 steps rich from box stock.  FWIW, Barry R has stated that the Ed 500s are less than steller in their intended application.  That plus you can find the 600s cheaper makes the Ed 1405 or 1406 a good choice.