A Ford big-block’s induction sys­tem has always been a quick bolt-on source for performance. All three vin­tage Ford big-blocks (FE, MEL, and 385 Series) yield an array of perfor­mance options from both the factory and the aftermarket. Swap meets and online auctions remain good sources for big-block Ford induction sys­tems. The FE big-block is undoubt­edly Ford’s most successful pedigree with a huge wealth of Intake mani­folds and carburetors to choose from out there. It is astonishing just how much there is, both new and used, for the FE.

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If you’re performing a restoration, you’re naturally going to want cast­ing number and date-coded correct pieces for your FE build. However, if you have the freedom of a resto mod–style build, options become many in both factory and aftermarket pieces. One option that excites enthusiasts is period speed equipment from the muscle car era of the 1960s. Classic Edelbrock, Offenhauser, Weiand, Holley, and Ford Performance induc­tion systems thrust your restoration back to another era. Ford, especially, during the 1980s and 1990s, offered a wealth of performance pieces for the FE and 385 Series big-block Fords.

Even today, Blue Thunder, FE Power, and Survivor Motorsports, to name three, offer a wealth of big-block Ford intake manifolds for these engines if you are seeking an OEM look. Edelbrock has Performer Series manifolds for both the FE and 385 Series engines. Summit Racing Equipment offers a range of induc­tion packages for both the FE and 385 Series engines.

Although the MEL big-block was originally conceived as a luxury car engine, it quickly developed a repu­tation as a brute high-performance engine long on torque and capable of a lot of horsepower, especially in powerboat and drag racing. The MEL’s penalty was weight. It was undoubt­edly the heaviest Ford big-block ever produced, except for the Super Duty truck engine.

The 385 Series 429/460 was con­ceived for the same reason as the MEL a decade earlier, to power big luxury cars beginning in 1968. Ford soon realized the great performance potential of the 429/460, introducing the 429 Cobra Jet and Super Cobra Jet in 1970.

FE Intake Manifold

The FE intake manifold and cyl­inder head relationship is certainly the most unusual in Ford history.

The C7OE-9425-A 427 Tunnel Port intake was conceived strictly for the Tunnel Port head. This is an all-out racing manifold and not recom­mended for street use. Pushrod tubes run through the intake ports.

The cylinder head and intake man­ifold meet beneath the valvecover, which makes this engine one of the most unusual in Detroit history. Which intake manifold you choose has a direct effect on performance. Choice depends upon mission. How will your FE big-block be used most of the time? And, how much hood clearance do you have? Because the FE has an extensive performance his­tory, an array of factory intake man­ifolds is available, some more elusive than others.

Factory experimental intake manifolds with the definitive X or XE in the casting number quicken the pulse because they’re an integral part of Ford’s factory racing history. Everyone has heard all the stories. Woodward Avenue and Telegraph Road in the Detroit suburbs were proving grounds for the Big Three to experiment with one-off experimen­tal pieces that have found their way into swap meets. I have seen proto­type induction packages that never made mass production, including super lightweight magnesium FE 427 intake manifolds conceived for Shelby and Le Mans.

Approximately 10 garden-variety intake manifold applications and port dimensions are available for the FE big-block. This means at least 10 potential port matches. When you’re shopping for an intake man­ifold, both cylinder head and mani­fold port size should match. When they don’t match you are courting turbulence issues that can cost you power. Measure cylinder head port size before laying down your money on an intake manifold. The cylinder head should always have slightly larger intake ports than what the manifold has if you’re faced with different port sizing. Get this back­ward and you get into unwanted port turbulence where the two get together.

The more common FE intake manifolds from the factory and aftermarket are discussed in this book. It is impossible to cover every intake manifold ever produced for the FE from the factory and after­market because there were so many in the FE’s peak production years. When you get into the aftermarket it becomes way more involved. There are obscure types found at swap meets and those rare factory exper­imental pieces that managed to slip out the back door at Ford a couple of generations ago. At times, their rarity makes them challenging to identify.

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This Tech Tip is From the Full Book, FORD BIG-BLOCK PARTS INTERCHANGE. For a comprehensive guide on this entire subject you can visit this link:

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Jay Brown of FE Power can help identify the more obscure FE intake manifolds with The Great FE Intake Comparo manual, which is 288 pages of 150 dyno tests along with 600 images, charts, and graphs. The Great FE Intake Comparo is the result of four years of FE big-block dyno test­ing, during which nearly 40 intake manifold types were evaluated on 6 different engines ranging in power from 350 to 675 hp. The manifolds were often tested in port-matched or internally ported form, leading to more than 50 intake manifold configurations.

There are obvious FE intake manifold and cylinder head combinations designed to work only with each other. For example, the 427 SOHC intake manifold isn’t going to fit your 390 GT engine. By the same token, 427 Tunnel Port heads were conceived only for the Tunnel Port intake. Not only do they not match, you couldn’t even bolt this intake onto your standard FE wedge with a lot of imagination. More common intake manifolds, such as the 427 High Riser, won’t bolt onto anything but a High Riser head. The SOHC, Tunnel Port, and High Riser FE engines were never intended as street engines no mat­ter how many of them you see on the street.

Port match on FE engines boils down to port floor positioning, according to Barry Rabotnick of Sur­vival Motorsports, which specializes in Ford FE big-blocks. FE engines are all they do. Intake manifold selec­tion begins with fitment and cos­metics. Bolt holes and ports must line up. Moreover, it is important to like what you see once the manifold is bolted on. Selection goes deeper than fitment and appearance. Choice depends upon how you intend to use your FE most of the time. Most fac­tory intake manifolds are dual-plane with a common plenum for good low-to-mid-range torque. Torque is what you want most on the street. Horsepower is reserved for high RPM.

FE big-blocks were fueled by a wide variety of carburetors through their long production life. Basic 2-barrel FE engines were fitted with the Autolite/Motorcraft 2100 and 2150. However, you’re not likely reading this book to learn about average big-block Fords with anemic 2-barrel induction. This book is more about how to get power from your FE and what works well together. Most FE 4-barrel applications prior to 1967 were the Autolite 4100 carburetor. High-performance FE applications got the Holley 4150/4160 carburetors. Tri-Power FE engines got a trio of Holley 2-barrel carburetors. FE engines with dual quads got a pair of Holley 4160 carburetors. In both cases these special OEM Holley carburetors were given both Holley list numbers and Ford part numbers. FE Aftermarket Induction The FE aftermarket remains strong for enthusiasts still building these timeless Ford powerhouses. Edelbrock, Blue Thunder, Weiand, Offenhauser, Ford Racing, and a host of others have produced thousands of FE intakes since 1958. If you’re scouting the swap meets, there are thousands of manifolds and carburetors out there for your FE project. If you’re building a period hot rod or classic Ford muscle car, it is exciting to find old cast-aluminum Edel-brock or Offenhauser manifolds just waiting to be tumbled and made to look like new. If you’re building a modern FE big-block, Edelbrock, Blue Thunder, and Summit Racing remain sources for FE intake manifolds. Blue Thunder manifolds are generally difficult to come by. They are excellent manifolds of the highest quality. However, Blue Thunder does not keep them in stock and it is not unusual to wait more than a year for one of these fabulous intakes.

Edelbrock is the better bet; the dual-plane Performer RPM intake is an excellent choice. The single-plane Victor intake is a great race manifold. You can order them and get them straight away. The FE Power intake adapter (PN 13001) allows the use of 351C intake manifolds on the FE. With the FE Power intake adapter, an FE can run a tunnel ram, a Yates-style single-plane spider intake, or any number of other 351C manifolds. The FE Power intake manifold adapter makes it possible to bolt more common induction systems onto your FE. What’s more, it makes for an easier swap.

FE engines have always had raw torque on their side thanks to good bore and stroke combinations. On the street, you’re going to want a dual-plane intake manifold. Runners with high ceilings help an FE come on strong at high RPM. This is what makes Edelbrock’s Performer manifolds a good choice. They deliver excellent low-end torque. In addition, when it’s time to pin the butterflies, the Performer works exceedingly well at high RPM. Blue Thunder and Survival Motorsports, which are Ford-focused, offer the FE performance buff what’s easily the greatest selection of FE intake manifolds.

MEL Induction

Although the Ford MEL was conceived as a low-revving high-torque luxury car engine, it has also enjoyed an exceptional racing history. As a result, many induction options are available for MEL enthusiasts. There are even adapter options where you can bolt a 385 Series intake manifold onto the MEL, which increases your performance options.

Ford MEL parts shelf intake manifold and carburetion options are few. The MEL was fitted with both 2V and 4V intake manifolds from the factory. Especially rare is the Mercury Super Marauder 6V manifold and Holley carburetion package for 1958 only. It made 400 hp, which was outrageous for the era. The Super Marauder was a flash in the pan at the MEL’s birth because it didn’t last. On the rare occasion that these exotic 6V manifolds come up for sale, they are expensive regardless of condition.

The most common MEL intake manifold was the cast-iron 4-barrel dual-plane, which was cast in a number of Ford casting and part numbers and was basically the same mani-fold for this engine’s decade-long production run. There was also a 2-barrel intake manifold, which had a brief production life for the Mercury 383 and Lincoln 430.
The MEL was fitted with the Holley 4150, 4160, and Carter AFB. For the majority of the MEL’s pro-duction life it was fueled by the Carter AFB, which performed very well atop this engine.

Easily the best carburetor the MEL ever had was the Carter AFB for its tunability and performance. The Carter’s equal is the Holley 4150/4160. Ironically, the MEL was never fitted with the shoebox Auto­lite 4100, which was very common in other Ford car lines.

MEL Aftermarket Induction

Because the MEL has been out of the mainstream for so long, it is unknown just how many aftermarket performance manifolds and carbure­tors were produced for this engine in its peak years. Edelbrock catered to the MEL performance enthusiast with at least two manifolds: the L300 6V cast-aluminum intake and the P6 12V, designed for the Stromberg 97 and other similar Holley 2-barrel carburetors of the era.

429/460 Induction

Ford’s original intent for the 385 Series 429/460 engine was as a drop-in replacement for the MEL 430/462 mid-year 1968. Like the MEL, the 429/460 was to be purely a low-revving luxury car engine engineered to haul the high-end Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury around in quiet high-torque comfort. It wasn’t long before the 429/460 became high-performance big-blocks for Mustang, Torino, Cougar, Cyclone, and full-size beasties including the Galaxie XL.

The 429/460 story across the board is a simple one sporting the Autolite/Motorcraft 2100/2150 2-barrel carburetor with huge 1.230-inch throttle bores. Going in with 4-barrel carburetion, the 429 was equipped with the 605-cfm Auto-lite/Motorcraft 4300. In 1970–1971, the 429-4V was fitted with the GM Rochester Quadrajet. It was never fitted with the shoebox 4100.

When it comes to factory iron intake manifolds for the 385 Series engines, there were two basic 4-barrel manifolds: the Holley flange and the Quadrajet flange. The spread-bore Quadrajet flange was short-lived in 1970–1971 for Ford-spec 715-cfm Quadrajet carburetors only. Ford opted for the use of GM’s Rochester Quadrajet carburetor due to tougher federal emissions standards until it could get the Autolite/Motorcraft 4300 dialed in from an emissions and drivability standpoint. The 4300 was used on some Ford and Mercury Division 429 engines beginning in 1969. Quadrajet fi lled the gap for 1970– 1971 until Ford went back to the 4300 in 1972.

The 429 Cobra Jet available in 1970–1971 only was built with the 715-cfm Rochester Quadrajet. The uprated 780-cfm 429 Super Cobra Jet was fitted with the Holley 4150. The Boss 429 for 1969–1970 held a 780-cfm Holley 4150.

Where the 460 induction system changed dramatically was when Ford went to Sequential Electronic Fuel Injection (SEFI) in the late 1980s. None of them were passenger car applications because the 385 Series big-block became truck and van only at the end of the 1970s. The 460’s SEFI induction package consists of a lower intake manifold setup for port injection coupled with an upper intake manifold and twin-bore throttle body. This induction system didn’t change much during the course of production, which ended in the 1990s.

429/460 Aftermarket Induction
If ever there has been an equal to the FE Series big-block it is the 385 Series 429/460 engine family. The aftermarket offers you a wealth of options when it comes to intake manifolds and carburetors for the 429/460. The challenge is figur­ing out which intake manifold and carburetor combination will work best for your application. It is com­mon knowledge dual-plane mani­folds work best for street and strip. Single-plane manifolds are best for drag racing and some road racing.

Air Cleaners

Ford produced more air clean­ers for the FE, MEL, and 385 than could ever be listed here. Each vehi­cle type had a unique air cleaner for the application. High-performance air cleaners date back to a simple open-element air cleaner found on the first 352, 390, 406, and 427 High-Performance FE big-blocks. Begin­ning in 1966, the FE took on a more involved closed air cleaner with inlet grilles instead of an open element to reduce induction noise and improve emissions. That was followed by closed-crankcase ventilation.

Thermactor/IMCO

Thermactor is an air-injection system designed to feed air into the exhaust manifolds to help burn resid­ual hydrocarbon emissions. In short, its purpose is to clean up the exhaust. IMCO (Improved Combustion) is, as the name implies, a system of spark control regulated by engine coolant temperature and acceleration ver­sus deceleration. It was phased in during 1968. During acceleration, IMCO allows spark advance. During deceleration and high vacuum, it retards the spark to reduce exhaust emissions. There are other aspects to IMCO, including carburetor jetting and spark timing curve.