I just purchased this 1950 Mercury. The seller told me he recently had the carburetor rebuilt, just before shipment told me it was leaking fuel. The engine starts with difficulty and fuel leaks all over the place. I'm not sure what kind of carb this is, maybe the original model 94?? It has an oil bath air filter. Also, there was this Holley 885 FFG carburetor in the trunk. I don't know if it works or not. I figure I can try to get a rebuild kit for the existing carb (model 94??) which I'm not too excited about. Or, take apart the Holley and possibly rebuild with a kit. That thing looks ancient too and I'm not sure how much I can trust it. My final thought is maybe buy one of these Speedway 9 Super 7 carbs which are a reproduction version of the original Stromberg 97 https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Primary-9-Super-7-3-Bolt-2-Barrel-Carburetor-Plain-Finish,24691.html Any thoughts?
Those are both Holley 885 series carburetors. They were used on the Lincoln 337 flatheads as well. Daytona carburetor sells a nice rebuild kit for them. There is multiple versions of the 885 series, so be sure to look at the suffix too.
Sorry, but this is totally incorrect. They are a poor look-a-like, not a reproduction. Don't buy one.
What the other folks said and one other consideration is that the base on the Holly you have has 4 bolts as does your manifold. If you convert to a 94 or 97, you will need a 4 to 3 bolt adapter or change the intake. They exist. Your Holly as noted had a number of different versions which can affect what side of the carb the throttle connects to to name one. What you have likely can be rebuilt.
Before swapping a 94 or 97 on, I would consider using a small-base Rochester 2G. They will bolt directly to the manifold but the throttle bores in the manifold should be enlarged to 1 7/16". I have done this several times and it works very well. If you mount the carb backwards (it doesn't seem to care), the fuel line, throttle linkage and even the automatic choke will line up. Both the Merc's and the 2G's come with divorced and integral chokes, so you should match the carb to your choke actuating setup. In addition to being a better carb design (my opinion) the Rochester also has almost 30% more throttle bore area than the Holley. Add a set of massaged heads, and a decent distributor, and you will even get a noticeable increase in performance. Also, it should be noted that swapping to another carb except a suitable 94 will not work with the stock distributor (Load-a-matic, you know) so an aftermarket unit or a converted SBC distributor must be used.
I would rebuild the carb you have if you want it to look original. Replacing it with something else can be done but it requires modifications and a lot of work. Get a kit and check the float for leakage ( float sold separately ). Shake the float to see if there's gas inside or hold it under hot water and see if it blows bubbles. If it has a leak you need to replace it. For whatever reason the needle valve is not sealing. I never liked these "tea pot" carbs but when they're right they work fine. Kits are readily available and aren't expensive. Pay close attention to the float level adjustment. Good luck.
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