I have a 1961 thunderbird with a 390 and I'm starting to think about it.I've already done a Edelbrock alum intake so the pvc?(thing coming out of the back of the intake to the carb) wont be a problem.But I have had the carb rebuilt early last year had a electric choke installed a few years ago(but don't think it works to good)so I'm thinking getting a 1406 might be the way to go.Read its more tuned for economy not performance witch i think would be alright but i don't want it to run like a vw bug but if its not a race car that would be ok to it is getting close to being a daily driver so reliability and economy is important..any info about them or the job in front of me would be great...
Actually a good Carb that is close to perfect and usually available at a good price on ebay is a Holley 80457 they are set up for Fords.
I'd go with the Edelbrock. I've had and used several of these over the years without a problem. Most of them came "tuned" right out of the box. I would not say that it would make your car run like a Beetle. While it might not be as "performance" tuned as the Holley it wont make your car a slouch.
It will if you don't get the fuel pressure right!!! 80457 (600 cfm) Holley with electric choke is they way to go....
I always use edelbrock carbs, you can bolt them on right out of the box and they run fine and if you do want to tune them, they are easy to tune and hold a tune better than the Holley's I've dealt with. Just my 2 cents
more often than not the people that have problems with the Edelbrocks are due to fuel pressure and not tuning them. Use a regulator and give it 5 lbs. of pressure. Then if it needs tuning, get the kit and follow the instructions.
Edelbrocks being easy to tune and holding a tune sound good.But as far as fuel pressure go I have know idea about what mine is the engine is pretty much stock so i could only assume I would have enough fuel pressure... Thanks for all the help..
I put a 1406 in my girlfriend's Ranchero. It's got a 390 out of a 63 Tbird. I bolted it up, ran the lines for the regulator, and haven't had to touch it since. I think Holleys are great if you like to tune or are very familiar with carb tuning. The Edelbrocks are nice when you just want to drop something on and forget about it.
I installed a 1406 on my 350 sbc about 10 years ago & haven't touched it since. I liked it so much that I bought a 500 cfm for my 283 & it flooded very badly. I listened to Zman & got a fuel pressure regulator, dialed it to "4" & it corrected the problem. The instructions do say that the fuel pressure should be no more than 5.5 psi, which I read after the fact (duh).
How would I find out my fuel pressure without a regulator...Or would i just buy a regulator and set it at 5psi when i get the carb
Fuel Pump pressure tester a ancient tool, sold at parts houses and sears? probbly obsolete by now with fool injection rampant some carbs can have a tendency to flood ocassionally and be tempermental and the fuel pressure regulator is a pretty shure method to cure that
Most fuel pumps, stock or otherwise will give you 5-8 psi. The idea is to keep it under 5 psi so it doesn't push fuel past the needle/seat assy thus flooding the motor. I like Holleys because you can fine tune them. Easy...NOT! If you like to tune your carb almost perfectly, the Holley is the way to go. I spent way too much time tuning a spreadbore Holley on a 390, but I got 18 mpg out of my 71 F100 4X4 LB. I chose the Edelbrock due to its simplicity and bolt on performance. Like many said prior to this, its easy to tune and on most all applications its bolt on and go. JMHO... Scott
it's not about enough, it's about to much. You can get a regulator and a gauge for a pretty good deal. It's funny how mechanical fuel pumps are not very consistant. The one on my Buick put out almost 11 lbs. when cold and down to about 7 when warm.
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