Technical What is this Offenhauser part called?

What are these "adapters" called; that set the carbs outboard and increase the runner length?



Thanx in advance.

 

cross ram adapters

 

I've called them crossram adapters...

 

I would call them cool.

 

Thanx guys. I searched for "cross ram adapter" at Summit, Jegs, & So-Cal to no avail. Also the Offenhauser site. Got a hit with Speedway, though. They have this exact piece, I think. Seems a tad pricey at $150 each, but that's probably not out of line for what you're getting.



This looks to be the same. Anyone concur or see that I'm full of it?

Also found them on eBay for higher price than Speedway sells them for.

 

If you want the look of a cross ram that is not bad. Original cross rams are selling for over a grand.

 

Bolting those on will be the fun part. Your work will be in building/setting up the throttle linkage.

 

Badass. That's what I call them. And on a Nailhead to boot.

 

Are there advantages/disadvantages to these performance-wise? Asking cuz I is ignernt and wanna learn!

 

f-w-i-w; Speedway also sells Offenhauser linkage for it at $130. Doesn't appear to be what's in the pic above, but very similar.

 

I don't think I've ever seen a cross ram for a nailhead. I mean a "one-piece" original. Anyone know if they exist? Come to think of it I don't recall a high-rise tunnel ram for nailheads either.

 

From the OFFY catalog, these are called 'RAM INDUCTION ADAPTERS' part #5497.
They list linkage too. #5581 Dual Carb kit. #5582 Single Carb kit.

 

For some reason a mental picture of one of those on a straight six intake is flickering in the back of my brain pan.

 

I love the looks of them on that Nailhead, but would hate to change the valve covers!

 

IIR, @RMONTY the long, long MOPAR dual quad cross rams made more high rpm, high speed power than the normal intakes did. I would guess these would too. But Nailheads aren't famous for high rpms, so I don't know any more (and probably less) than what I just said.

 

A very different looking intake system.....Should attract a lot of attention..... What are you going to put it on and are you expecting street performance or going racing with this combination? Price seems reasonable to me.

 

Eventually this 401 will go into a '26 T (front half of touring car) modified. I'm collecting parts for it. I have 3 nailheads, but the 401 seems to be in the best condition. Also the bellhousing/flywheel/etc from a GS to go along with any of several GM 4-sp trannys I have. 9" Bronco rear. '32 rails. etc., etc.

Strictly a street driven hot rod; EXCEPT for the H.A.M.B. Drags.

I doubt that a cross ram setup will be very beneficial (if at all) on the street at less than 3 grand rpm, but I like the looks.

 

I have never used these things nor do I know anyone who has. So anything I say here is pure conjecture. But I have made a few intake manifolds and have a little dyno time with them. The point, as I understand it, of tunnel rams and cross rams, was to provide a long column of air/fuel mixture a straight path to the intake valve. The mass of this moving mixture would provide sort of a slight supercharging effect. Proper tuning of the tubes length and plenum size would negate the pulse wave caused when the intake valve closes and the column hits it and bonces back. Bolting these on to a standard dual quad manifold looses all of the straight column advantages. The mixture makes lots of 9 and some 180 degree turns to get to the intake valve. There is no individual runner advantages that a purpose build ram intake has. In short I would be very surprised if these didn't result in a loss of horsepower compared to just the original intake. If you just want to look "cool" fine. Be aware that a lot of experienced people will not agree they are "cool"

 

I’ve got one on my Model A, it works pretty good, unless it’s cold..


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Rich,

I understand and agree with everything you say. Especially the part about not gaining hp and possibly losing some. The manifold I'll be using is an original Buick dual quad manifold that I'm pretty sure was designed by an engineer(s) that was WAAAAY smarter than me and understood all the principles required to make such a design. I just think that they look pretty cool.

 

Yeah; I imagine that the ones that were designed from the git go to be cross ram would work very well. A friend of mine had that same manifold on his model A coupe and really liked it.

 

COOL RULES

 

POH; Yeah yours probably works pretty good in the RPM range it's made for. But look at your port runners nd the port runners on the Buick pictured at the beginning of this thread. Cross ram intakes worked great on lots of MoPar hemi and wedge engines. Correctly made I would think they are about as good as a tunnel ram with a small plenum. But ad ons on a dual quad manifold. I don't think so.

 

Look cool for sure...depends on carb size and jetting..good luck

 

I had one of these on my '60 Plymouth but noticed they went to shorter runners in subsequent years. Must be a message there.

 

I have had personal experience with those Offy Cross Ram adaptors in the mid 70's, I have had a 318 poly in my 1940 Oz Dodge since 1973 and found a factory 57/58 twin four intake with the WCFB's........thru rebuild kits into the WCFB's but could never get the damn things running right and the factory intake had the carbys too close together to run a pair of Holleys so I ordered a pair of these Offy Cross Ram adaptors thru Diablo Motors in Sydney plus a pair of rebuildable 600 Holleys........installed the adaptors, Holleys and made up a linkage with bellcranks and various bits and with a pair of velocity stacks( you remember those don't you?), twin point mallory, 35/75 cam, Hi stall converter, etc it ran like a hairy goat............lol............got the idle down to about 900-1000rpm, even with the converter, BANG......into gear it went and it ran shithouse until the cam came on song at about 3000rpm then all hell broke loose..........lol............after a couple of months I found out that Weiand still had their single four intake # 7503 available and that's whats been on the car since............BUT .............a few yrs ago I got another 57/58 factory twin four intake and a pair of Edelbrock carbys.................since uming & ahring whether to put this on the 'ol girl.........lol...........but those Offy Adaptors?............if it had of been a 318 & a manual trans, well maybe, but I don't think they are the most streetable intake accessory but, yep they DID LOOK COOL........lol.............this is the only pic I have showing the engine bay with the Offy Adaptors & twin fours and an early pic with the Weiand intake and a recent pic of the engine bay and the current twin four consideration..........lol..........andyd

 

I had a NOS pair of those with all the linkage back in the mid 80's. I thought they were ugly and wouldnt fit under the hood of my Model A. So I sold the rams and cut up the linkage to use on other cars. I still have some of the linkage parts.

 

A friend of mine had some of those sticking out the sides of his SBC powered 34 pickup in college. I thought that was cool as hell. They are kinda pricey now for no more than you get, but as I recall they were fairly low priced back in the 60s-70s.

 

There you go. If you want a car kids think is cool, go for it. If you want a car adults think is cool, maybe think it over.

 

If you want something adults think is cool, buy a Prius.