Convertible intake manifold

DETAILED DESCRIPTION In accordance with the present invention an intake manifold assembly is provided for replacing a stock intake manifold on an engine having a V-shaped engine block with dual cylinder banks each having an engine mating surface with a plurality of ports therein.
The engine has an engine valley between the dual cylinder banks.
The novel intake manifold assembly comprises at least one removable and interchangeable center runner member having a carburetor mount, the center runner member comprising a first manifold runner means having a first runner mating flange with communicating runner ports therethrough at one end remote from the carburetor mount and a second manifold runner means having a second runner mating flange with communicating runner ports at one end remote from the carburetor mount.
The intake manifold assembly also comprises an isolated manifold base member with an integral coolant crossover section, a distributor boss section, and an engine valley cover section between the coolant crossover section and the distributor boss section.
In addition, the manifold base member has a pair of relatively thin port section flanges on opposite sides of the engine valley cover section between the coolant crossover section and the distributor boss section, each having an upper mating face.
The manifold base member further has a continuous bottom mating face for being positioned and held against the engine mating surface for interconnecting the coolant crossover sections to the engine block and enclosing the engine valley.
The first and second runner mating flanges of the center runner member are configured to be positioned and held adjacent of one of the upper mating faces of the port section flanges whereby one center runner member can be replaced by a second center runner member without removing the manifold base member.
In the preferred embodiment, the coolant crossover section has a coolant crossover duct therethrough with the bottom mating face being held to the adjacent cylinder bank by a pair of first bolts extending through the manifold base member and positioned on either side of the coolant crossover duct