Throttle linkage doesn't fit with edelbrock
 

Hello,

I have a 1971 Pontiac 455. I have an Edelbrock intake (2156) and an Edelbrock carb (1806). According to Edelbrock, to use these you need bracket (8015) and you can use your existing throttle bracket and it will line up, but it's not even close.

Has anyone had this issue? Pictures are below. Thanks.

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Fabrication of some kind to adapt your throttle cable is almost always required when using an aftermarket intake.

Get creative with some flat stock or angle iron, a drill, a hacksaw, a file and git ‘er done.

The stock intake and carb are a blessing, nothing to adapt and performance is equal to or in many cases better than aftermarket replacements in non-race applications.

Pictured below is a throttle cable bracket I fabricated from a random factory bracket from my stash and some flat stock. It worked out after cutting down the mounting bosses on the RPM intake by about 3/4” if I recall correctly. I used an aggressive large hand file to shorten them and then ran a tap down into the holes afterwards because the shortened bosses needed more thread depth.

Good luck. :)

You've already modified from stock, I'd do a Lokar cut to fit cable. They aren't overly expensive and it really helps to dial in the linkage when you can get the sizing accurate for the application.

For now get a small adjustable turn buckle from a hardware store to extend your cables nose if you can.
My local store goes down to some dam small sizes!

Be sure to use a jam nut on the machine screw you use to bolt the turn buckle to your cable and leave things on the loose side of tight.

Use nylon washers if they have them too on each side of your cable’s nose.

You may not get full throttle like this, but you can drive & tune the motor.

Nice paint job on your motor by the way!

Lokar makes a aluminum bracket for the Edelbrock carb/manifold combination that is is really sturdy piece. It will hold the throttle cable and your downshift cable and it spans across the back two carb mounting studs. As said get the Lokar throttle cable and I would also get the Lokar downshift cable. Fully adjustable cables. Better quality than the the old GM stuff for your application.

Almost any time I've put on an edelbrock intake, the OEM brackets to work on a Pontiac it required, cut, fit, and weld the old bracket to make it work. I've also found that edelbrocks brackets aren't any better than fabricating the OEMs to the new application.

It's never as easy as it is on TV where everything magically fits, first time, every time.

He does not need a down shift cable with a TB400 trans, so that’s one less thing to fret over.

I replaced the throttle cable and bracket with one from a Chevelle LS6. The bracket mounts on the rear carb stud and has an anti-rotation tab. Mine was for a Holley install but I don't see that the Edelbrock would be any different. Save your unmodified originals should you ever want go back to original.

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It seems like nothing changes in this hobby. The last time I looked it was 2022 and we are still having to deal with "cobbling" to install aftermarket parts that make less power than the factory parts that were removed. At least the engineers making that stuff should at least take the time to make sure that it's a direct fit and easy install with the factory components.

I still remember having to shim up the factory bracket and modify it for the RPM intake I tried years ago. The mounting position was too low and too far to the rear. I put studs in the mounting holes and used washers to get the height correct, then slotted the holes to get it closer to the carb. That still wasn't enough so I had to modify the attachment point where the cable bolted to the bracket to get enough travel so it would allow the carb to return to idle.

Then the Shaker was too tall to allow the hood to close so had to obtain a shorter variety, then the lid for the air cleaner was too high so had to go to a shorter air filter element.

When all said and done it didn't work well and the engine hated it. I couldn't make full throttle drag strip passes with the air cleaner lid in place so had to remove it and make a custom air filter for the Shaker opening.

All that work just to use a part which I found out later actually slowed the car down slightly in the 1/8th mile over my ported factory intake.

I'll add here that at one point I tested the Performer intake and it was a TURD on my 455 making right at 500hp back then. It acted like a restrictor plate so I had to abort drag strip testing with it and go back to the factory intake.

A few years later I dyno tested one on a 455 we had on the dyno and it was down nearly 20hp from a factory intake. SInce all that when one shows up here we cut the water crossover of of it and toss the rest in the scrap pile.........FWIW.........Cliff

Cliff, I know you probably posted it previously, but have you tested the Holley SD, Torker II or a Victor against the factory iron intakes? Just curious if any of them are an advantage on a street car?

When the HSD first came out, I used them on a couple of mostly stock low compression engines. One was a 77 T/A 400 4 speed, the other was a 73 T/A, 455 with a T 400. The 77 had 3.23 gears and the 73 had 3.08 gears, I thought that both cars picked up over the iron intakes, but I know you've tested a plethora of intakes against the iron intake.

I also had a mildly built 455 in a 75 T/A with a 3.23 axle, with with ported 5C heads that I ran an late iron intake with the EGR system disabled that would run very well.

All the intakes were bone stock, just trying to get an idea for my next project car, if I should bother to try a single plane, or stick with an iron intake. I would as always, be running a Q Jet on my car, no holleys on my stuff.

Thanks in advance.

[QUOTE=Cliff R;6343810]Here are a few things I've found testing intakes. ALL single plane intakes require at least a 1" spacer or you leave considerable power on the table.

The T-I is a complete "turd" and we saw a 59hp improvement back to back dyno testing one w/o a spacer vs my "modified" factory iron intake.

The T-II in contrast is excellent, and with a 1" spacer it makes the most power for bragging rights on dyno runs almost every time. Downside is that it doesn't have a spread bore pattern.

The Tomohawk is also a nice part, spacer required.

I like the RPM and have made good numbers with it but the added 1" height makes it difficult to use with many Shaker and factory Ram Air set-ups without special parts and considerable "cobbling".

The Performer is a "turd" on a 455 build at or past the 430-450hp mark, too restrictive.

The factory iron is a very good part and a good fit for most applications. It is heavy, but to 500hp not much out there that will outrun it.

At the track back to back testing the intakes mentioned above the Tomohawk with a 1" spacer topped with my 4781-2 850DP carb ran the highest MPH for all testing, and that was on two different 455's in different vehicles.

My "modified" factory cast iron intake at the same outing produced the best ET even though it gave up nearly 2mph to the Tomohawk with a 1" spacer.

455's also like big CFM carburetors. A 450hp 455 needs at least 750cfm and will pick up on the dyno or at the track going to 800-850cfm even though the "math" doesn't show it needing that much carburetor.

In almost all cases a single plane intake with at least a 1" spacer will win bragging rights on a dyno test.

For example, a well built 455 with 10.4 to 1 compression, Edelbrock round port heads, RAIV cam and a Torker II with an 850cfm carburetor produced 505hp. Installing an Edelbrock RPM with no other changes netted 487hp on the very next pull.

On the street doing any sort of "seat of the pants" assessments the single plane intakes win every single time. They produce STRONG power in the upper mid-range and really start showing their colors from about 4500rpm's to the shift point. The blast of power feels much like a small shot of NOS so noticable transition. The power produced by a dual plane intake is more "locomotive" like and smooth/strong/flat with little if any felt transition. The "butt meter" very quickly favors the single plane intake even though at the track with traction they often give up enough 60' and short times that the car will ET quicker than it will with the single plane intake..........Cliff

I had the same issue, you gotta modify the OG bracket. Then still check WOT.

Sure, am glad to have you 1back Cliff!!!!!

One issue here is that I've put a 700R4 behind this engine, so it does not have a kick-down cable, it has a TV cable, and the geometry of that cable must be exactly right or it will burn up the transmission.

I understand having to modify brackets, however I bought these from Edelbrock because the specifically advertised that they fit and would align everything, then after purchasing them it doesn't even come close to fitting. It's ridiculous a product would be this far from functional, so I was curious if anyone else has had this problem with these parts.

(Side note: I would have loved to have gone back with the original intake and carb, but several years ago when I was ordering these parts there was no one I could find that could properly rebuild my quadrajet or get the necessary parts. Now is a different story, but I've already got the Edelbroke parts in place.

Precision Specialists Inc. has the answer for Edelbrock intakes and their "throttle bkt adapters" Our throttle brackets cover most GM throttle cable applications and can be used with AFB style carburetors, but were designed around the Quadra-Jet. Ames carries them in their GTO catalog and they may be in the Firebird/Trans Am as well. P# N147HL for the bridge style and for a clean Q-Jet look that mounts at rear of carburetor use P# N147P.

The Kickdown cable is a different situation. What you are missing is the Edelbrock 1481 throttle lever adaptor which extends the universal throttle lever back to alight with your cable. Your kickdown cable location on your OEM bracket should be fine. If not, Holley makes one the bolts on the rear carb stud and has the square hole like your cable.

Edelbrock throttle lever adaptor 1481

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