Clifford 6=8 Intake/exhaust and weber carb advice

I have a 73 CJ 5 with the 232. I am considering putting on the Clifford 6=8 intake manifold, headers and weber 38 carb. This is a daily driver. Has anyone done this already? Were there any issues with the parts or instal? One of my concerns is that the intake is water heated. I don't know for certain, but I don't think my stock intake is set up to do this. Clifford says the kit comes with everything needed to get it set up. I'm just looking for a second or third opinion from anyone out there that has done this before I drop the $ and tear it apart.

 

I don't have the Weber on my 258, but I put on a 1982 intake/exhaust, that is also water heated, and had no problems hooking the water system. The original intake was like yours. I use the Motorcraft 2100 carb.

 

How does the water system hook up? Is it just an additional hoses in and out of the intake running to the water pump?

 

No firsthand experience, but I've heard a lot of complaints about the quality and fit of Clifford parts. I would lean toward an Offenhauser. Actually, on a 232 I think a plain old 2bbl manifold from a later 258 would be a good cheap upgrade and I don't think the performance gains of the 4bbl manifold would be worthwhile.

 

The Weber 38 DGES/MS is a 2V (2-barrel) carb. I would skip the expensive (waaay overpriced IMO) Clifford manifold and fit an aluminum 2V manifold from a '81 or later 258. Just get the carburetor kit for a later 258 with a Carter BBD 2V.

If you are swapping manifolds, you'll want to replace your exhaust manifold too. The later Jeep exhaust manifold bolts up, just like the intake. The carb preheater uses cooling water and an electric heater in the intake manifold. The water passage is easy - just direct your heater hoses through the manifold. The extra effort is worth it to get rid of the leaky and troublesome exhaust gas connection between the iron manifolds.

I suggest you spend your manifold money on a cam, or headers. Spending more on the carburetion and intake without a better cam or higher compression won't buy you much more performance, I'd expect. JMO - I would not spend much hopping up a 232. A better option would be to swap in a 258, or a carbureted 4.0L.

I put the later manifolds on my J10, with a Motorcraft carburetor.

You really want the 38 DGES over the 32/36 DGEV? If you are not raising the compression and swapping the cam, I'd expect the difference between the two, in terms of preformance, will be negligible.

 

Yes. Even on a 258 or 4.0L. The aluminum 2V 258 manifold will fit the 4.0L, with a little manipulation.

 

Put the manifold inline with your heater hoses. Simple.

 

I looked the Clifford manifold you are referring to. At $300 it's not cheap, but not out of line with aftermarket speed parts. I got the manifolds for my 258 truck free, in exchange for a unspecified donation to our local 4x4 forum.

The aftermarket parts suppliers often make outlandish claims about their products. http://www.jeepstrokers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2396

You have lots of opportunities for junkyard upgrades with the 232/258/4.0L engines: manifolds, carburetors, ignition, fuel injection, cylinder heads, camshafts... do your homework and you can make your money go a long way with these engines.

Realize that the 232 and 258 are basically the same engine, except for the displacement difference. An increase in displacement from 232 to 258 will give you a performance boost roughly equal to the displacement change, 11%.

The 4.0L and 4.0L HO engines used in Cherokees and Wranglers are a bolt-in replacement for your 232, and are significantly more powerful. Your 232 makes 100 hp, and the 4.0L HO makes 185 hp - a significant difference. And it just bolts in to replace your 232. The earlier 4.0L (Renix engine) would be a significant upgrade to a 232 too.

You have lots of options other than expensive aftermarket speed parts.

 

I have the Clifford upgrade on my 73 and am happy with it. I had no fit issues. I do not have the water hooked to the manifold. Clifford has always been helpful, even when I had questions about performance not related to their parts.

 

So, what I'm reading is that the Clifford parts aren't worth the money. I would be better off pulling a 258 Intake off a later jeep, adding headers, and the carb? Sound right? I'm not really interested in swapping out the engine just yet.

What is the differance between the 38 DGES and the 32/36 DGEV? All I know for sure is the old stock carb in the jeep is shot and I've heard good things about the Weber.

 

Hi brady -

Yes, I think so. I'm not a big fan of headers for a Jeep, but in your case it may make sense. After you install your headers, ask your friendly local muffler shop to build a free-flowing exhaust to go with the headers. Even the later iron exhaust manifold will be an improvement over the iron manifolds that are bolted together at the heat riser. The intake and exhaust are both much improved over the 1V iron manifolds.

Do you have power steering? The later manifolds may require notching the PS brackets slightly, but they are very easy otherwise. Probably not needed on a '73.

The 32/36 DGEV is a progressive carburetor, just like a 4V carb. The 36 mm venturi acts as a secondary to the 32 mm venturi, giving you 1V economy when cruising and power when you open the throttle. I believe the 38 DVES is not progressive, and both throttle plates open together. Larger venturis mean more fuel gets into the cylinders, but fuel control is not as precise. On a 232, I suspect you won't see a lot of difference in power between the two, and you are likely to get better mileage with the progressive carburetor. Unless something has changed, these kits are imported and distributed by Redline. http://www.redlineweber.com/carb-kits/auto/jeep/ You may be able to get a better price from a retailer than direct from Redline, but they have information on their site.

An ignition upgrade would be worthwhile too. Very easy on a 232/258, using a factory distributor from a '78 or later Jeep.

 

Thank you for the info. I was wondering about the exhaust after the header instal. I know if it is too restrictive, I'ld lose any gains made by the header. I just wasn't sure yet what exactly I needed.

 

I decided to go with an Offenhauser 6208C Intake, Hedman headers, and a Weber 32/36. Got it all torn apart and started putting it back together, then I ran into a problem. The adapter plate that came with the Weber kit is made to connect to the stock intake and doesn't fit the new intake. I've called around to several places and I'm coming up with a blank on an adapter plate that will make this work. The bolt pattern on the carb is 3 5/8 x 1 7/8. The intake is 5 5/8 x 4 1/4. Anyone out there solved this one before or know where I might find an adapter plate? I keep being told that the more common carb measurements are 3 3/4 x 2. I've checked and double checked the measurements but what I've got above seems to be right.