I'm talking #;s they have from actual experience. Owner of forum is pretty smart and very experienced...same for a few others over there.

The top plate on the flame arrestor. The nut sits on top to bolt it down. The nut is 1/4". Recess the top plate so the nut isn't the highest point of the arrestor. Same the with the bottom. If it sits up off the carb just make a flat plate. That's gotta be over an 1" between the two. Then trim an inch out of the mesh. That's two inches more clearance. You can also increase the diameter of the top and bottom plates you have plenty of room around the sides...

It's a ford broham. They don't break like this boat stuff.

I wondered if lowering it and raising diameter would still flow enough hmmm

Gotcha

Just pull some mesh out. We only run with one layer of screen two tops. That's why you over insure you boat
:-)

You might go from 73.2, to 73.3!

I pretty much suggested a dominator from the get go on this build. That thread was a whole nother chit show of arguing. You said no way, because you couldn't fit it. Now, you're willing to find room, to fit a spacer under your current carb, and worried your carb is too small?! lol

I think this time around, you might be best to do your own engine development. What I mean is, taking advice from 30 different avenues, is not necessarily a bad thing, but at the end of the day, strapping the thing on a dyno, and trying out various carbs, various intakes, swapping exhaust, etc. Sometimes, what looks great on paper, doesn't always work.

You know Ryan Retter is flexible with you, and will work with you to try different things on the dyno, and won't nickel and dime you for the time. Theres no point in cutting up your hatch, if its a 10hp gain. Now, if you find a particular intake/carb combo, that nets you 25, 35, 40+hp , you may want to modify the hatch. Same thing with exhaust. You might find 10hp from switching from your manifolds to a header setup, or you might find 50hp. That might sway you to looking into different exhaust, or keeping what you have. But, you gotta do the testing. What works on one guys engine, might not work on yours. BCK spent some time on fine tuning his intake/carb combo. He found what , like 25hp doing so? Thats not a bad gain at all.

We have enough of us here, that I am sure someone would be willing to loan out an intake, a carb, maybe even some spacers, etc, to try .

Since I have your attention fora second don't forget the manilla folder, port thing. It will be good info for you and everyone.

Mark is a carb genius

Pulled mesh out last year haha only have 2 layers you see right through