One of the first things that many people do to improve the performance of their hot rod’s engine, is to upgrade the intake and carburetor. Performance-oriented intake manifolds are probably the leading bolt-on upgrade when rebuilding an engine. Many enthusiasts also feel the need to extract every bit of performance possible, and porting that manifold also comes into play. The problem with that, is it can be difficult to properly reach all of the critical areas you would like to “adjust” with the die-grinder.

This is not your typical single-pane LS intake. Both halves separate for easy porting.

If you’re an LS enthusiast, Holley Performance Products has just eliminated that obstacle with the release of a single-plane split-design race intake manifolds. These have been developed specifically for high-performance and race-oriented Gen III LS engines with cathedral port heads and 4150-style square-bore flanged carburetors or throttle bodies. That said, nobody ever adapts race parts to their street-able engine. Anyway, the special two-piece, split configuration allows easy disassembly for direct access to internal plenum and port surfaces, and that makes custom porting and port-matching very easy – relatively speaking. This is a feature usually found only on the most expensive race intakes.

Both halves are sealed by a captured O-ring-type gasket. That means it won’t fall out during assembly and no sticky grease is required to help it stay in place.

According to the folks at Holley, this intake is lighter and less than half the price of other split race manifolds. The Holley Single-Plane Split-Design Race Intake Manifolds are ideal for 5.3-liter to 6.2-liter+ displacement applications, and deliver rock-solid performance up to 7,000 rpm. This is a race-oriented intake, and the long runners could make hood clearance minimal, but will create optimal performance across the entire RPM band. Also, the captured O-ring seals at the split, and all eight head-mating ports, make reassembly simple and precise. Also, you’ll find vacuum-port options which include (2) 1/8-inch, (1) ¼-inch, and (1) 3/8-inch, NPT ports at the carb

flange

The single-plane intake’s split feature allows the intake to be disassembled, giving the enthusiast complete access to the plenum and ports for ultimate porting. O-ring seals mean disassembly and reassembly can be completed many times, and shoulder-bolt locators ensure precise mating of the two halves.

We asked a source at Holley if a port-injection version of the intake might be available soon, and the reply was, “We cannot disclose details of future products, but I will say there is more to come.” With that said, we can’t wait to see what comes next.

Features/Benefits:

• Maximum-performance race design with hood clearance consideration
• Lighter than other split race intakes
• Split feature makes porting easy
• Captured O-ring seals at head ports and intake split area
• Vacuum port options include (2) 1/8-inch, (1) ¼-inch, and (1) 3/8-inch, NPT ports at the carb flange
• Height: 7.32 inches (0-degree carb-flange angle)
• Port size: 3.28 inches by 1.10 inches
• Carburetor flange: standard 4150 for up to 1-3/4-inch-diameter throttle bores
• As-cast runner cross-sectional area – 3.5 square inch at the runner entry, tapered to 2.9 square inch at the flange exit