i have a 85 van with a 6.i was wondering why the intake manifold hooks to the exhaust manifold like it does.?? what does this system do??. i want to make it dual exhaust but i gutta hunch that the intake bolting to the exhaust is apart of the way it needs to seal to be properly torqued to the motor. will removing this hurt?? it seems the person who had the van before changed it to a remanufactured carter 2 barrel and has blocked everything off from this system working with the carb.


thanks in advance jimbo

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dodge b150 4x4 225 supersix,8 inch lift26605_1315915292058_1055981099_30764636_7102626_n

It sounds like you are referring to how the intake is bolted to the exhaust directly below the carb? If so, this is to provide heat to the underside of the intake manifold to help with cold drivability. If you want dual exhaust here are a couple options:

1) Get a set of Dutra Duals. This will provide heat to the manifold.

2) If you plan to go with a set of headers, you could get a water heated intake like this Clifford intake.

The exhaust on the underside of the intake manifold heats the manifold to vaporize liquid fuel. This helps the engine run with a leaner fuel mixture which has several benefits. For most everything operated on the street you want to retain the exhaust heated manifold. I believe your van should already have a 2 1/4" exhaust system which is good. Make sure the catalyst isn't plugged as that will kill power and economy. Does your van have the lean-burn ignition system?

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Joshua