In-Line Autolite carb: were they legal in Trans am?

[Historybuff]

i was reading a site about in-line carbs and it reminded me that every once in a while I see a small block with a single or even two four barrel Autolite carbs and i was wondering if they were ever run on the Boss 302s in Trans am? I know they wre developed for Trans am and offered at Ford dealers as over the counter speed parts but I can't remember seeing them on the Boss 302s when Trans Am cars race at Monterey? Also I read Parnelli Jones tested a 6-barrel Autoline Inline but he rejected it for the Trans am. And I remember when Solo Automotive owner had a 427 Cobra he ran a single inline four barrel so they must have made them for big blocks but surely too late for the 427 Cobra when it was originally racing.

It seems to me the inline four barrel was the last hurrah of the carburetor before everyone went to fuel injection

[Mark IV]

Wally,

Once more it is called "GOOGLE"......

Four Barrel Inline Carb - Popular Hot Rodding Magazine

1969 Boss 302 Ford Mustang - Mustang Monthly Magazine

Boss and Cobra Jet Mustangs: 302, 351, 428 and 429 - Dr John Craft, John Albert Craft - Google Books See page 56


Ford didn't run it as SCCA demanded proof it was a "production" part and the Holleys were working OK, so they never put the resources to fine tuning and homologating ther carbs.

[*13*]

The Barry Grant Bad Man is pretty neat. Seems they used a lot of Weber ideas & the results, not so surprisingly are similar...even though they acted so in the article.

[gsharapa]

I know the stock car drivers especially short track in the midwest started running them in late 60s early 70s and they were ruled out of competition pretty fast as Chevy didn't have anything like it. I had one on a Boss 351 in a 66 Mustang GT350R Clone back in the early 80s and it was awesome. 850 cfm version vs the 1400 one. I used Bud Moore spacer plates so the Boss 302 Cross Boss manifold would work on a 351 and also had a custom build offset distibutor. Very cool setup....would look good on a Cobra....

[*13*]

I've always thought it would be a great cobra accessory. Pretty tough to come by, I would assume?

[kcoffield]

Originally Posted by Historybuff

i was reading a site about in-line carbs and it reminded me that every once in a while I see a small block with a single or even two four barrel Autolite carbs and i was wondering if they were ever run on the Boss 302s in Trans am? I know they wre developed for Trans am and offered at Ford dealers as over the counter speed parts but I can't remember seeing them on the Boss 302s when Trans Am cars race at Monterey?

“run” yes in the sense they were fitted tested and prepped for competition but never made it there because SCCA outlawed them before the first race of 1970 (at Laguna Seca IIRC). In short, SCCA was never convinced the homologation rules had been met for them. There were probably other politics at play as well. If you search the subject over on the B302 forum you’ll be rewarded with related threads on the subject. 6-7 years ago, Mark Hovander did quite a bit of research on the Inline origins and history and posted some of his findings there.

It seems to me the inline four barrel was the last hurrah of the carburetor before everyone went to fuel injection

Not so. The sponsored teams had a plan B and this gave rise to the Bud Moore miniplenum. Of course the Dual Dommy Holley IR systems were also on the scene as well as other more conventional schemes on the privateer’s cars. Carburetion was still the norm for years to come though subject to the ever evolving rules. Proliferation of EFI was driven much later by production cars as the government introduced more stringent emissions standards and desires for better mileage as was launched in a big way by the Arab oil embargo. It took quite some time before EFI became as we know it today. Heck, NASCAR is just now getting with it….but what can we say about that.

Best,
K