It can work. For some value of work. Don't expect the high RPM of the original four carb set up, or the power.
4 - 22mm carb throats give 1520 MM squared area.
1 - 34mm Carb will only have 908 mm Squared area. So, breathing will be limited.
The log manifold will also have turbulence due to four inlet pulses disturbing upsetting smooth flow. As pictured, I expect the outer cylinders to receive different mixtures than the center cylinders.
You may well get excellent fuel economy with the approach, though. Just don't expect to go 98 MPH as the original did.
IMO this is the best response so far. What he's referring to is choke flow. There is a limit to how much air you can flow through a given area. carbs need to be sized to optimize flow. intake manifolds need to be optimized for flow as well.
The problem that no one has directly addressed is intake pulses air does not flow continuously through the engine but rather as pulses as intake valves open and shut. A carb helps to mix fuel into air and this mixture then flows to the cylinder. The problem then, is this pathway to the cylinder.
In a log style manifold, some are going to happen. The cylinder at the end of the log is going to run horrible. Fuel is heavier than air and due to gravity, it will fall out of suspension as it travels a long distance. This results in puddling of the fuel. As the puddle grows it's gonna get sucked into a cylinder. That's not better. So you'll have a cylinder running lean and then going super rich.
1 carb into 4 cylinders, non log style is better but not by much. if the carb is in the center, the two inner cylinders will run rich and the two outer ones will run lean. The intake pulses from the two center cylinders will be more powerful (less distance to carb) and draw the denser fuel/air mixture. The closer the carb is to the intake ports, the more dramatic this function will occur.
2 carbs into 4 cylinders. getting better. the problem is not as bad as above but now you have two opposing pulses drawing the air/fuel mixture. This will create turbulence, I didn't mention this above, but the problems above are worse than turbulence. because the cylinders are not firing at the same time, there will be moments when cyl. 1's intake valves are open and drawing fuel/air, then they slam shut and shortly after the fuel/air is now redirected to cyl.2. this isn't efficient.
4 carbs into 4 cylinders. efficient, most effective fueling, no lean cylinders, best tuning. this is why super sports (gixxers, gsxrs as an example) ran 1 carb per cylinder before fuel injection.
8 carb's V8s: this was never done due to complexity and expense on a mass produced vehicle. Problems of cylinders running rich/lean were common and lead to much development as far as intake manifolds were considered. And the issue of puddling arose from this R&D.
However..... hi-power, efficient V-8s do run ITBs (individual throttle bodies).
http://www.streetfire.net/video/toyota-1uzfe-engine-with-itbs-revving_7172.htm This is a video of a toyota V8 with ITBs. more expensive, but when related to performance, better.
So can you run a 1 carb to 4 cylinder intake set-up. Sure anything is possible. A monkey was sent into space.
Is it better, no. rich/lean problems, intake pulse problems.
Ask the monkey what space was like.
