454 Mag Intake Manifold Questions...
 

I've talked with quite a few marine engine builders and am not sure which direction I should go with the intake. I had finally narrowed it down to either the Merlin or the Dart with the Merlin inserts because the boat runs in salt water so that's why it came down to these two. In the final hour I decided that I'm going to ceramic coat the intake and the exhaust manifolds. This opens the door to many other manifolds. The with the right intake and exhaust, the builder said it will produce 525hp without going to a full wet header. Here's some specs on the motor.

JE Flat Top Pistons CR: 10.2:1
Cleaned up Retangular Port Heads
Crane Hydraulic Cam, full roller setup (don't have the specs but it will be spinning up to 5800rpm.)
Gear Drive
Single Plane Intake with 850cfm Carb
Revolution Marine Exhaust

I've herd good things about the Brodix HV2000. I've built my fair share of engines years ago and have always been impressed with their products. I've also been told the Edelbrock Super Victor with a 2" spacer/adapter from 4500 series to the 4150 series carb is probably the best setup. Not sure if I room for the spacer. Was hoping some of you other Senza Spectre guys out there could tell me if I'd have the room or not.

Looking forward to your feedback

You won't get 10.2 to 1 with flat top pistons. It will take a good size dome to get that. I would use the Dart. It will work well on a high revving 454. Also, there's a lot of used ones in good shape around since Merc puts them on alot of engines. The Brodix and Victor are better for larger engines or higher revs than you will see.