Say you need to buy a new 4bbl carburetor for your street driven car. Do you buy a Holley, Edelbrock, Carter, Demon, Rochester, a different one I didn't mention? Why would you buy that particular brand? No need to discuss cfm's - that's a different topic. Shall we say which carbs in general are junk, or easy to work on and tune? Thanks in advance!!! Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I recently bought a couple of new Holleys, first time I've bought a new one for one of my cars in thirty years. They're expensive, tuneable, and there are lots of models available to suit many different engine combinations. But I can find reasons to like and dislike most of those carbs for specific applications...some are better for some things. others for other things.
Holley. Just grew up with them and I can rebuild one in my sleep. No other reason than that really. They've never done me wrong and I'm loyal till I'm given a reason not to be.
I'd buy a Summit.. Made as a Holley replacement from an Autolite. Tunable with Holley parts. No bowl to base gasket like an Edelbrock, Comes with a fuel line. 5-6-700 cfm. Good reviews from those who use them. Everyone has their favorites and what they like.
The only reason I prefer Holley and Quadrajet carbs, is because I am very familiar with them. I ran Carter (Edelbrock) a long time ago, and had no problems with them. Most people run into problems with carbs, by purchasing one that is too large for the engine they are running. The other issue, is people making "modifications", or having the carb modified by someone that thinks they know what they are doing. Bob
One thing that seems to be a constant, at least from what I've done over MANY years... If you want milage - buy Edelbrock, Carter If you want power - buy Holley In a similar question to this the other day, while I've used a few other brands, the two above are what I've used mostly, a couple other brands that I've used, I haven't really "played" enough with them to be able to lump them into a category. I had a 67 Chevy II years ago. Off Road, GM roller cam, a fair amount of head work, Edelbrock intake. It got better mileage with a "performance", Edelbrock carburetor...AND it would pass the SMOG test, back when it was a requirement with this same carburetor. While the engine would NOT pass the SMOG test with a Holley, no matter how it was tuned (two different carburetors), it definitely...had more power. That again, no matter of tuning could the Edelbrock carburetor match the Holley. So, for 50 weeks out of the year, I ran a modified (annular boosters added) Holley. For about two weeks, I ran an Edelbrock carburetor. Mike
To quote Perry Mason "calling for a conclusion by the witness"! There is no "one fits all". Pick the brand with which YOU are most comfortable, then pick the correct model from that brand for the specific application. Personally, I would probably NOT buy a new carb. I would find an older one that would work with the application, and rebuild it. Jon
Didn't we just do an identical thread on this last week? For me one is pretty well plug and play and looks like an old carb off a mid 60's 327 and the other is real easy for me to tune to get the best performance out of. What I am doing with it has everything to do with it.
If you had mentioned a general cubic inch range we would be right in the middle of a discussion about cfm. My question is do you have a 265 small block or a 468 big block in your "street driven" car. The way your post is worded it kind of sounds like someone is asking "how long is a piece of string".
Good information, and thanks to all!!! "Stick with the one I'm comfortable with" is a bit of an issue because any experience I had with carbs was decades ago, so I'm kinda starting from scratch, which is what prompted my initial question. If anyone has anything to add, I'd appreciate your comments... Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
First, my apologies for not searching the H.A.M.B. for a similar question -- my bad. The engine is a Ford 302 Windsor small block, currently sporting low performance heads. It's a work in progress. Originally a 2bbl, but I no longer have the carb. I wanted to upgrade to a 4bbl carb and intake (neither of which I have yet). I'll be looking at a dual plane for street use. What i felt I needed the most guidance on was a brand (style) of carb that's a breeze to tune and rebuild. Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
In my opinion, no single four barrel looks better on a Ford than a good old Holley, especially a dual feed. Since a lot of carburetors can be made to work fairly well if you size them right, that would be the deciding factor for me. I would look for a good used list 1850. I just bought a Model A coupe that came with a new (and terribly OT) 750 Demon. It's kind of a billet AFB. I hate the look of it but it sure does seem to work well. If only they made version of them that was vintage looking.
Get a Holley 600 cfm carb... List #1850 and a vacuum gauge from Sears.. Are those guys still in business???.....
A genuine 4150 Holley for performance use and a Autolite 4100 series for a run for ever, easy to work on carburetor.
If you want to dump fuel and make power, use a Holley. If it's for a driver and fuel mileage matters use an Edelbrock. Quadrajets work well too, but some people don't like working with them. There are more choices out there and a lot of variables. Pretty hard just to pick one without knowing more detail.
Since it's going on a Ford engine you can't beat the reliability of an Autolite 4100. Not the best performer for sure but just a good carb for daily runs. Second choice would be a Holley.
There is a new maker of Holley type carbs from a couple years ago fstcarb.com. Also Slayer has low priced Holleys
By the early 1970's, ALL domestic manufacturers had gone to the spread-bore design for low performance and standard performance street use, and most also used the spread-bore for high performance engines. There are still 2 questions to be answered: (1) are you planning to use an automatic transmission, and if yes, does it require a kick-down lever on the throttle arm? If so, this is a major consideration! (2) what configuration intake manifolds are available for the 302 Windsor (I don't know)? Based on answers to the above, IF a spread-bore intake is available, AND a carburetor can be found to match any transmission requirements, then I would suggest a spread-bore carb. The domestic manufacturers used the spread-bore for a number of reasons, including driveability and fuel economy, plus as much power as the square bore. So, spread-bore carbs have been produced by: Autolite (4300) (opinion - not a good choice unless the engine came with it, and it is a number-matching resto). Carter (TQ) Holley (don't remember the type, but was offered in a 650 and an 800) Rochester (Q-Jet) So at this point, I will modify the "you are comfortable with" comment above to "you wish to learn to be comfortable with". There is not going to be an "out of the box" perfectly tuned carburetor for your application. You (or your mechanic) is going to have to dial it in. My personal choices (for me, not necessarily for you) would be: first choice Carter TQ (Carter made one for a Ford with an automatic, so no issue there), and second choice Rochester Q-Jet from a Chevrolet 350 (again, does it need a transmission arm on the carb). And as I stated in my previous post, there is no "one fits all for everyone". Consider what everyone has written, and determine what is best for you. Jon.
All these carbs have good and bad points. I like the Autolite 4100 1.08 for your application, but IMHO the base does not seal well with an aftermarket manifold. The Holley 1850 or the Summit carbs have good reviews and are reasonably priced. I used an 1850 manual choke, and only required a minor tweaking to dial it in.
Carbking says: "There are still 2 questions to be answered: (1) are you planning to use an automatic transmission, and if yes, does it require a kick-down lever on the throttle arm? If so, this is a major consideration! (2) what configuration intake manifolds are available for the 302 Windsor (I don't know)?" #1) The transmission is another conundrum... originally set up for automatic (I have the flexplate), but I'd rather have a manual. I don't have a transmission. But I do have a spare flywheel and matching harmonic balancer for the 302...so theoretically I could use either tranny. Except -- will the rotating assembly still be balanced if I switch? But you are quite correct in getting the right carb setup to match the type of transmission -- thanks for the reminder!!! #2) Intake manifold configuration should be no issue, as there are so many different types and styles for the SBF available. I don't have the intake yet, but you made another valid point on what to consider on my carb selection. Thanks for the input!!! Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Last new carb I bought for me was a Holley. I opened the box, bolted it on a drove it for 80K. I got lucky the engine it went on didn't need more or less jet. That is pretty rare. I prefer to work on a Holley if I have to work on one. I don't care for demons. I like carter carbs too. There are lots of carbs that I would run but I prefer holleys or carters.
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