By their very nature, hot-rodders have a habit of not leaving well enough alone. Despite the engineering and design work that goes into O.E.M. product development, we can always rebuild it and make it stronger, right? For some, this is a relentless pursuit of perfecting an already good platform. For others, it's doing what nobody else has done before, wanting to be different. Then there are guys like Mike Staveski, who runs a quality restoration shop in Hudson, Florida, called Time Machines Auto Restorations. Several years ago, Mike and his father, Ray, built a Challenger convertible show car using a V10/A518 tranny combination. Since that sort of swap has become more common recently, they decided it was time to "renew" the high-tech E-Body retro style. This would be in the form of a '70 vintage 426 Hemi sporting dual throttle bodies in place of the factory's twin AFB Carter outfit.
Twin throttle bodies on a Hemi? Nobody in the aftermarket offered this as an option yet, and moreover, the retro-tech outfit would need to fit on both the intake and into a Shaker-style baseplate. The idea was to develop a package that could be simply interchanged with the AFB's so that anybody from a street warrior to the concours crowd could use it and swap back to the carbs if needed.
Working closely with engineers from Holley, two new Holley throttle bodies were installed on a special spacer plate made by Time Machines that allowed [Mike] to create a well-thought-out combination resulting in the ultimate in street-ability and performance. We recently had a first-hand look at the science and are spilling the beans here. The folks at Holley are currently further researching the final kit, and you'll be able to order the necessary non-Holley components from Time Machines. This deal is cool.
The critical link between...
The critical link between the engine's intake and the twin throttle bodies is this adapter plate made by Time Machines, which will allow the use of OE Shaker air cleaners and fresh air systems with a custom baseplate.
Here is the main difference....
Here is the main difference. This shot shows the left throttle body with the fuel regulator installed, while the throttle body on the right has the regulator removed and blocked with a fabricated plate. Both throttle bodies need to have the plate installed and an external regulator used.
(A) Since the bodies need...
(A) Since the bodies need to act as a single unit in many regards, the air idle control must be tapped and plugged on the rear throttle body. The throttle position switch on this unit can be removed since it's not needed. The front TB sensors work the system. (B) Grease on the tap will help keep the metal shavings from entering the sensitive throttle body by keeping them in the flutes of the tap.
Once installed on the intake...
Once installed on the intake plate, the throttle-cable bracket is bolted to the rear throttle body. Since the computer will regulate flow to both throttle bodies, this system doesn't need to be progressive.
The throat opening on the...
The throat opening on the throttle bodies are 5 inches in diameter while the AFB carbs were only 4 inches. Therefore, an aftermarket fiberglass Shaker base-like this example from Year One-needs to be modified to fit.
During the initial development,...
During the initial development, spacers (cut from an empty hand-cleaner jug) were added on top of the throttle bodies to put the Shaker at the proper height. In this image, fuel lines using fittings and hose from Earl's are also being installed.
Next, the wiring is routed...
Next, the wiring is routed from the interior (where we mounted the control boxes) to the throttle bodies. To mount the controllers inside the car, drill a hole in the firewall. However, the Holley boxes are weatherproof, so the boxes can be mounted elsewhere under the hood or fender if so desired.
The auxiliary injection driver...
The auxiliary injection driver module is mounted out of sight in the body structure behind the passenger-side kick panel.