So I am very new to this, and only 21 years old, and need some tip or recommendations or help in general. I am currently restoring a 1970 Cutlass Supreme hardtop and have it at a shop rebuilding the engine. I want to have a blower and bug catcher on the motor because I intend to make it a show car. I asked my mechanic how much it would cost to do everything and he said he would do it for cheap but I’m going to have a hard time finding the parts for it. Well, he was right. It’s been very hard to find a intake manifold that will take a blower for the 350 rocket. I’ve found some high performance intake manifolds through Edelbrock but I don’t think those are right. I’m not too great with engines, my area of work on the car is the body and paint, so any help is super appreciated.
Thanks!

 

I’m assuming you’re asking about a manifold for a roots-type supercharger. If so, last I knew there were no off-the-shelf manifolds for the small block Olds. This company lists them with a “call for price”, which I’d assume means custom order.

https://www.scottmarlow.net/Supercha...ldsmobile.html

Is this just for show? If you’re actually looking to make power, you’ve got quite a bit of work to do to the bottom end of that 350 to make it survive.

 

There has never been a dedicated intake for a Roots blower for the small block Olds, There were a few cast for the big block by Sharp (as used on the Hurst Hairy Olds). Those come up for sale occasionally. There are the even more rare M/T blower intakes for BBOs. Nothing for SBOs.

All of the aftermarket blower companies (BDS, Hampton, Dyer's, etc) simply take one of the Offy dual quad single plane intakes, mill the carb flange parallel to the ports, and weld or bolt on a thick aluminum adapter plate to accept the blower. Given the minuscule market for these, I guarantee they are all built to order. You do realize that you're talking about $5K just for the intake, blower, and drive system, right? That doesn't count the cost to build the motor to use them. And of course polishing is additional.

 

Look for an Offy 360 for a small block Olds. They’re around every so often. Most use them as blower base. cuz otherwise they’re a lousy intake.

 

Could be worse... could be that Offy 180 intake with the wall down the middle.

 

I have an extra Offenhauser dual four 360 intake for a SBO.
Also pics of the blower and manifold machined and blower plate heliarced in place and a pic of the filler neck modified under the blower neck.

 

That blower manifold looks like the 180 (or whatever Offy called them) with the center divider wall that separates the two banks from each other. Most blower conversions mill that down to avoid flow disruptions.

 

Well, young'un- props for even thinking about such a project but you've already seen exotica like a Rootes blower for SBO is uncommon and $$$.

If you have your heart set on a supercharger, have you considered a Paxton or McCulloch type blower? That won't look as hairy as a Rootes sticking out the hood, but will do the same thing with the added advantage of stealth 😏. And would be a much easier install.

 

Joe, you are very observant...........this was the first one I had done..........it was a single four manifold..........the one I have on the car is a 360 dual four, and I have an extra 360 in case we screwed one up during the machining and heli-arcing.

 

Machining the Offenhauser 360 with the top of the 3/8" plate even with the top of the runners allowed me to keep it under the hood............no hood cutting here.

 

Wow😍😍😍 Mrgadget, do you have any videos of it running?

 

Offy made those dual quad intakes in high rise and low rise versions - the one in your photo is the high rise. They even made them in dual Qjet versions. Too bad they are such crappy manifolds for NA applications - just gimmicky. Their sole reason for existing is to be made into blower manifolds.

 

No running videos............it sounds like a stock engine, the boost gauge is in the non-positive range, when you floor it, the gauge goes to +5.25 psi, very drivable.
I had a serious problem 3 years ago...........lost a piston, Cutlassefi diagnosed my problem as possible detonation. So took the distributor to an old one-man shop and he put it on the Sun machine and we saw the advance go to almost 50 degrees at 1800 rpm.........so he talked to a friend who dealt with supercharged engines and said block it at 20 degree max, get rid of the vacuum advance and set crank timing at 12-15 degrees.
No more problems, engine runs cooler, starts easy, problem solved. Cutlassefi hit the nail on the head.