shear plate ?

[Nucking futs]

I need to get a shear plate for my tunnel ram. Any one know where to get them for the Edlebrock T rams like this???
http://www.southwindjetboats.com/az/tim4.JPG

[cyclone]

Wilson?

[Nucking futs]

Wilson?
Are you asking or telling me? lol, thanks Mike,will call them in the morning.

[cyclone]

sorry i was thinking out loud. i know they make them, but maybe not for a edelbrock. Was thinking you could order it without the bolt pattern and drill it yourself.

[SmokinLowriderSS]

For those like me unfamiliar with tunnel rams, just what is a shear plate, where's it go, and what's it's purpose there?

[cfm]

Yes, Wilson or Reher-Morrison for the shear plates.
Tunnel Rams direct the intake runners right at the bottom of the carburetor. Intake reversion will have a pretty dramatic effect on the booster. The shear plates have an extended section that will remove a portion of this issue.
Looking at most single 4bbl intakes, the runners are pointed at the one across from it. Not the bottom of the carb.

[flat broke]

Smokin,
The very general description of a shear plate is a spacer that sits below the carb. It is different that a regular carb spacer in the fact that the side facing down into the plenum is shaped in such a way to help divert combustion event resonances coming back up the manifold away from the area right below the venturis to provide a cleaner signal to the carb and less turbulent airflow in that area. Here is a pic of what one looks like poking through the top of the tunnel ram from the inside
http://www.***boat.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=24235&d=1171468511
Tim,
Wilson makes em, though I don't know about specifically for the Eddy top (it doesn't look like it from their website, but you could always give them a call). The page with their shear plates is http://www.wilsonmanifolds.com/shop/index.html?lang=en-us&target=d12.html&lmd=39027.472847 If you want to do a little DIY, you could make a new top for the Eddy. I made mine out of a solid chunk of aluminum so that it would have built in 4* mounting wedges so the carbs would sit level in the boat. A pretty nice piece for a little backyard machinework. You couldn't really do this without a mill (unless you had some big balls and a big router) but it will give you an idea. Here is mine from the bottom. We made a pocket underneath the mounting pad to unshroud the shear plates so they could do their job. http://www.***boat.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=24232&d=1171468335 From the top it just looks like a std top with built in mounting pads cut at an angle. Don't mind the endmill marks etc. in there. The part has since been cleaned up. http://www.***boat.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=24233&d=1171468399 And here is a side profile. http://www.***boat.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=24234&d=1171468472
You could make a top out of .250-.375" plate fairly easy with a bandsaw, drillpress, some sanding drums, patience, and some carefull measuring. But it'd be easier on a mill for sure. Once you have the shear plates in hand it would be easy to figure the diameters of the bores for the cloverleaf. Use your existing top for a template for your basic bolt holes and carb locations, then trasncribe the cloverleaf measured from your shear plates onto the sheet and start going to work. Since you don't have a way to hold an exact dimension without a mill, I would probably opt to transfer punch the bolt holes from the old tr top, then put the the shear plates on the new piece where they are on the eddy top, transfer punch the carb mounting holes, then from there draw out the cloverleaf (measured from the plate) using a compass on a sheet of paper. Cut ou this template, then use it to transfer to the new top making sure it is orriented properly so that it is where it is supposed to be in relation to the carb mounting holes. Positioning the cloverleaf relative to the carb mounting holes is the only dicey part if you're not doing this on a mill. If you're off, the plate wont fit, or you will partially oclude the radiuses under the plate negating their effectiveness.
Good luck,
Chris
Chris

[flat broke]

Tim,
I spaced in my last post. If you don't feel like making your own top, call Dave at DNE. Depending on your timeframe and budget, I would assume he might be able to make you one, as he makes em for some of his customer's motors.
Chris

[Nucking futs]

Thanks Chris. I remember when you did yours. It turned out nice. Also did you run a spacer between the top and T ram base? I will ask around and call Dave and see what he can do.Im in no real hurry as the new mill wont hit the dyno untill late may anyways.

[flat broke]

Tim, I do run a spacer between the plenum and the top. Cant remember off the top of my head, but I think it's an inch thick. I can check if you want. Is this going on the cruiser motor, or the injected deal you're building for the SWTD? If it's for the injected motor, I'd do some research and see if it is still as worth while in that application.
Chris

[Nucking futs]

Chris, did you buy the spacer or was that a custom deal you did as well?
This is goin on my new engine.I ditched the injection, too many things I would have to do to the boat to make the complete fuel system work right and I didnt want to go through the trouble so im leaning towards T ram and 750's. Still undecided might even go 1150 dominator with a little shot of the gogo juice.

[flat broke]

I could have made the spacer, but Dave had some already made up in different thicknesses, so I used one of his. I'm pretty sure it's made of Delrin. I believe the early ones were Nylon and might have been more permable to gas spills and subsequent discoloration. I'm not sure, but probably something you'd want to double check if you decided to DYI.
Chris

[SmokinLowriderSS]

Thx for the explanation FB. :)
Also, VERY nice TR top there ya milled out. :)

[superdave013]

wow Chris, that's some impressive work on a handle machine. How many hours went into that? More them most would think I'm sure. I bet that raw chunk was pretty spendy too.

[flat broke]

Dave,
Thanks for the kind words. I think the material ran me around $60-$70 back in 04. As for time, I can't even remember. I know that we worked multiple nights on it. And now it sits in the garage under a tarp waiting for me to finish another laundry list of projects before it sees the inside of a boat again. Funny how this stuff works. Then again I also know a guy who has a twin turbo deal and a really nice cruiser hull that has been working on his deal much longer than I've had my motor, so I shouldn't complain. ;)
Chris

[victorfb]

Dave, Then again I also know a guy who has a twin turbo deal and a really nice cruiser hull that has been working on his deal much longer than I've had my motor, so I shouldn't complain. ;)
Chris
Dave needs a bag of ice after that kick to the junk. :jawdrop:
BTW, nice work chris. looks real good. and some great info.

[steelcomp]

I need to get a shear plate for my tunnel ram. Any one know where to get them for the Edlebrock T rams like this???
http://www.southwindjetboats.com/az/tim4.JPGFutz...why do you think you need shear plates?
With that Edel. intake, the top will cover most of the effective area of the shear plates, and you won't really get much benefit from them. I think Darin Morgan makes a shear plate and a spacer that work together to solve that problem, but just bolting on a typical shear plate isn't going to give you any real benefit. Your other option, as Chris mentioned, is to make another top, but you need to take into consideration two things. Most critical here is the distance from the bottom of the carb to the runners, and plenum volume. A new flat top will position to bottom of the carbs closer to the runners, even with the shear paltes installed...so you'll probably need ot run a plenum spacer (that's not an absolute...the dyno will tell), but this will change the plenum volume, so the thickness of the spacer will be critical...both these changes will effecet the tune of the engine. If you're planing on doing all this, I'd strongly suggest you get it on the dyno to take full advantage of the changes, otherwise you'll be wasting most of your time.
Just my 02
Good luck