Offenhauser triple manifold

Has anyone actually used a triple carb manifold or seen one in use and can comment on how well it works/doesnt work? The internet is full of people suggesting it, a few people who have pictures of theirs, but nobody says "this is way better than a 2 barrel weber" or "this is more of a pain in the ass than its worth" or anything in between. Im planning on doing it on my 200 motor swap, I just want to hear someones actual experience!

My 2 cents= from many years  of working & tuning many different multiple carbs- The simplest is best - UNLESS! you have time & patience & understanding on multi-carbs!! Now-?? How much performance  can be gained  on any street used vehicle  with any multi carb setup-especially with a 200 cube six  engine?? Think about it!  Many multi manifolds were developed due to  us NOT having any advanced 2 bbl & 4 bbl carbs & had to use only 1 & 2 bbl OEM-carbs -way back!! Todays carbs are years ahead of what was  even available in the  mid-60's.  Costs V/S fuel use & performance  on a six engine?? is it really worth it ?? eye candy - YES!!

I plan on using the Offenhauser 6019 with a Holley 350. Not sure I can afford the Clifford package with the Weber.

Yeah it looks great. One benefit I could see is better fuel distribution given the crappy log intake. But I could see having your foot in it all the time, b/c it would be so fun, and really eating some gas.

I am 62 and my learned after school everyday in the back of an auto parts store machine shop. I was the grease monkey taking engines apart and cleaning them in the hot tank. EVERY NIGHT I took home a Chilton's motor manual and studied, and studied and studied. EVERY DAY asking new questions. When they finnally fired the machinist because of his alcohol problem I was 18 and and with more valve jobs and bored engines I took the shop over.
  Not to toot my horn, but sold my last shop at 23 and there is absoloutely nothing about mechanics other than common sense. 
  With that, common sense says that the small six engine head is only going to breath so much and the reason eveyone wants the cross flow cylinder head for it. The stock head can only breath so much before its wasted engergy and moneys.  In order to make an engine breathe, there are a lot of things that make it do exactly that. One is the intake port size, shape and valve size, one is the camshaft, one is the exhaust port size, shape and valve size and LASTLY the intake manifold or intake log itself. 
  With that where is the trade off for a better cylinder head that will take the fuel system and flow you want to get out of it.  Do you bite the bullet and by an aluminum head that can use all of that fuel system??  or do you "get by" with maxing out a late model small six head like the 250 that has a larger intake log than all the rest of them??? then how far do you go with it??  Port, polish, roller rockers??   
  In my thinking the best way would be to use a 250 head because of its larger intake log and valves and mill it so that you get 9/1 CR. Then do some mild port blending and use a progressive 2bbl Weber and say good bye to all the issues. That and a Dura spark dizzy, and a 200 block and you would be REALLY happy.
  Our stock carbs were pretty much garbage when new, and now 50 years later there are a lot of better alternatives that dont have a warped top cover to worry about.  Just my nickel on it....
vic

Old Skool, you nailed it!

Just to fill in with Vic, The late 200 & 250 heads are identical. Valve size, combustion chamber, everything.

Yeah they are often refered to as 250 heads, but infact they are identical, differing only by year. And actually the largest log head(80-83) was only fitted to 200's b/c they stopped production of 250's by then.

Thanks guys, I have been working on motorcycles professionally for the last 10 years, I have tuned all sorts of carbs, Im not worried about that. My main concern is driveability/performance. I was planning on using 3 holley 1904's, 200 big log big valve head, standard adjustable rockers, a good torquey midrange hydraulic cam with a little top end, 9:1 compression on a 200 block. Im not concerned with idle, I usually drop it as low as it can without stalling! If it actually helps with air/fuel distribution and torque/power to add two more carbs I will do it. Logic says it has to help, but I know logic is not always the way of the world!

I also am a big fan of "period correct" modification. Of course it would be better to drop a crossflow head on, or just swap out for a new 300 six with fuel injection and call it done! I want to keep the heart and character of this truck while giving it a boost in power/reliability.

If you want it to appear basically stock, I'd go with direct mount 2-barrel with stock type air cleaner. But not sure if that's what you mean since offy 3-barrel mods were period right?

I'm in the middle of a 250 swap in my van atm and I'm likely going direct mount Weber 38. I have decked the block .032", bored .040", using 2.5 hsc pistons to take out another .056" of the deck height, having them milled with chamber shaped dishes @ 7cc's, leaving me with .020" deck height and 9.5:1 static C/R and 7.5:1 dynamic C/R using the erson 280101 cam and felpro gasket. Quench still ends up at a less than ideal .070" total but alot better than the .158" I started with and it's hard to get around with these 250's unless you have custom pistons made and use the Victor gasket and end up with .044". I like these little 6's, more fun than dropping in an efi 300 or sbf.

Working up a six can be a lot of fun,,,  for me old age and lots of playing around I will take the SBF any day.   Much easier and less work for hspwer, sound and gas mileage.  100 mph is fine for me in mine,,, Fun to stomp on it once in a while but hard to beat 20mpg and the air cleaner right in the middle....LOL
  REALLY DONT LIKE the big sixes with the intake and the exhaust bolted together and the constant smell of a cooked carb??  Put headers on it and an intake  and still fight getting it and the air cleaner inside the DG,,,,,,,,,,,,not for me.. EFI 300 wont fit at all or very well
  The 200/250 sounds is a very good engine and runs very well in ours as stock except for the stupid stock carb. A progressive 2bbl weber and that motor will run REAL sweet.
vic

BTW,,,, I have at least three sets of adjustable rockers and pushrods that ALL are cherry like new for sale...PM ONLY please if interested

I have the big 240. Can you bolt on a 32/36? Too tall for the dog house?

Even with a cold air intake...

JUST SOLD a bad boy with nitrous in it also...  I liked the Clifford intake manifold over everyone elses and it fits inside the house.  The WEBER was a winner and if you can get the cold air to it thats even better.
  Years ago----------------------- I had started working on using the passengers side frame as a cold air duct to the carb.  Never went anywhere with it but an idea I had.  The frame is an air tunnel from front to back just sitting there??  Put in an intake area where the horns are and put in a simple block inside the frame at the exit point??  Could be beefed up at the same time.. Maybe a bad idea after working on it???????? but I never went anywheres with it?????????????
vic

Gotta get back to yanking a 240 out of a truck,, so kinda rushed.  BUT,, forgot,,, If you are going the Weber and cold air,,,  why would you use the stock manifold and not use headers also???
Vic

Ok, I'm not that slow... why yanking' he he he. trying to stay kinda stock:)

I like the intake idea. I have a vette. used to have a mustang. I just want to have fun with the six, dependable, only drag race old people and give rides.

I should re-phrase that. I don't want to drag old smart people. Young dumb ones:)

Why the downer on 240's- serious question.

I get the sense that my money might be better spent getting a modern carb first, good to know the clifford fits in the dog house. Lots of different opinions on what is better out there. My Question was more about dependability and ease of maint. Why would I re-build a 1 bbl when I'm not that concerned about stock? I was just curious. Mine has a ripped off CA emissions system, not on it. I just want to blow up the motor before I have it re-built. I will get the headers when I can afford it:)

OVER the years I have seen many people build a big six in order to get it to romp.  Either one, the 240 or the 300 BOTH have a very serious issue with the carb percolating issue. Its part of having a big six ford UNLESS you do something to get rid of THAT problem.
  As all of us are aware of in our trucks they stuffed a fire box into a little bitty oven and expected the radiator to get rid of the heat and then throw it right back into that little itty bitty oven. Because people want to sit on the top of this oven and touch it,  and dont want to listen to it make noises they then are not satisfied unless they insulate it to keep the heat inside of that oven even better.
 With that Ford in its infinete wisdom bolted a solid cast iron manifold that retains heat very well directly to the intake manifold also made of cast iron.  They did this on purpose for cold weather drive ablility BUT ALSO to not have GASOLINE DROPLETS rolling down the intake manifold. If its hot it will not have the droplets and only fumes. Fumes burn better....LOL.
  SO,,, as long as you keep the exhaust manifold bolted up to the intake manifold and you do not pass cold air over the intake and base of the carbuerator when you park it, you WILL HAVE gasoline percolation which is pretty nasty on a set of rings because of raw fuel wiping off the oil layer until you start it again......   Ford even realized this problem and even on a pickup truck with a big hood and lots of room for heat to rise and dissapate they STILL put an air manifold and air pump on them. On the pump itself is a decal that reads,,,normal for this air pump to continue operationg after shut down.....
   So,, IMO,, while its fun to build a six as a nostaglic thing and is neet to do, with all the work involved to get a big six to put out with out its issues. Personally, I would rather the SBF.  Thats just my opinion though.  The exhaust is lower and the boxes under the seats are far less obtrusive than a big box in the lid and the upper side for a 2bbl or a 4bbl carb and its air cleaner. The V8 air cleaner clears and is right in the middle. The only one more thing that you have to do for a V8 is convert the cross member. EVERYTHING else is the same from alternators to radiators,, all the same.
  The 300 gets its GRUNT from a longer stroke and in reality IMO,, is twice the motor that a 240 is. Not because of 60 more cubes but by how its gotten with a longer stroke. Its got low end grunt.
  Just my opinion,,,, and loved your banter LMFAO..
vic
 

I FORGOT,,, (sorry) to mention also that even when you use headers and an after market intake, you still need heating of the intake manifold even though you got rid of the exhaust bolted up to it. To do this the best way seems to be hot water in the intake.
  Of all the intakes, Clifford seems to fit inside the doghouse the best and in the previous picture of the one I sold recently it had a Weber on it. It also had nitrous injection manifold and of course, the hot water.
  I believe I heard (????) that even the new Cliffords have the hot water porting in them.
Vic

ok, well, what do i do if i don't want to lose my original block. i'm doing whatever Old school says by the way.

wait, I was listening.

Well with all that said, Im still going to go for the little hot rod 200. Thanks everyone for your input! Ill post a review when its all done in a year or so, haha.