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Hot Rods Edelbrock vs Holley

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by mobileortho, Jan 1, 2010.

  1. for highly camed engines the Holley is easier to power valve to the vacume, but either will wok if set up right
     
  2. My favorite carb is the Holley 4010 series. I still see them on eBay, usually cheap,too. People don't know what they've got. I've run two without so much as a burp. Everybody's right, though, either should work with a little TLC. I'm running a Holley 1850-4 600 CFM, Vac. Secondary on the Willys. I like them-- simple, common, and reliable.

    I replaced the Holley 4010 (750, Vacuum 2nds.) on the Pontiac with Megasquirt injection. I would recommoend that if you want to keep EFI. It's kind of complicated at first, but after it's tuned, it's really sweet. Four seasons with it and I'm happy. The webiste (msefi.com) if self explanitory and the users are as good as the folks here. It's not traditional, but it's pure hot rodding, and some of the guys over there have projects that will blow your mind.

    good luck!
     
  3. brigrat
    Joined: Nov 9, 2007
    Posts: 5,618

    brigrat
    Member
    from Wa.St.

    A cheap test would be to take 1 & 2 injectors out and switch them with 2 others from diff cyl. See what happens. How long did it sit after the hot wire fried? I have had new injectors and cleaned and flowed injectors go bad just sitting. Plus check your ing. system from coil, rotor, cap, plug wires, plugs.....
    Depending on what TPI you have if you decide to swap out I will trade you a rebuilt carb of your choice and traditional aluminum manifold.....
     
    Last edited: Jan 2, 2010
  4. I'm gonna continue to run my TPI........
     
  5. BillBallingerSr
    Joined: Dec 20, 2007
    Posts: 651

    BillBallingerSr
    Member
    from In Hell


    Yeah stock or pretty mild. If it makes less than about 13" hg the Carterbrock isn't very stable. The fuel regulator really helps for fuel, but it needs about 13"hg or more to be stable airwise (emulsion/mixing). I would still avoild the 1850 style and jump on up to a twin metering block dual feed Holley, if vacuum secondary, a 700 or 735 is a great one. A DP goes clear down to a 600. I had a 600 DP and it was an excellent carb on a 302 Ford, and it had about 8.5"hg of vacuum and a single plane with popups about 11.5:1. It ran great. Downleg boosters are hard to beat. Annulars pick up fuel quick, but you won't get very good mileage out of them. BG has a good one too, about 650-675 cfm too.
     
  6. I put a brand new out of the box Holley 390 on my '56 Ford and from the get go it has had a hesitation when I accelerate. I guess I need to mess with it a little. Back in the day I always used Carter AFB's. Wish I'd have got one for my '56.
     
  7. turdytoo
    Joined: May 14, 2007
    Posts: 1,568

    turdytoo
    Member

    FWIW, When I ask the guy at "Daytona Restorations" (they are awesume carb restorers), what he would chose for his personal car he said Carter. I have run about everything satisfactory and thats why I ask a specialist.
     
  8. BillBallingerSr
    Joined: Dec 20, 2007
    Posts: 651

    BillBallingerSr
    Member
    from In Hell


    I like them too. Summit has reintroduced it as a house brand. I can't vouch for it because I have not tried one, but they probably are a good carb, like a big Autolite 4100 really, The 750 4010 I ran was a great carb. But like I said, I don't know about Summit's re-issue, it might be just as good. I like the two piece body for sure.
     
  9. Ditto!!!
     
  10. Rudebaker
    Joined: Sep 14, 2007
    Posts: 1,598

    Rudebaker
    Member
    from Illinois

    OK, I originally answered the specific question with my experience of Edelbrock vs. Holley. As to what I would put on it if I was starting from scratch it? A QuadraJet, hands down with no "if's, and's or but's".
     
  11. brigrat
    Joined: Nov 9, 2007
    Posts: 5,618

    brigrat
    Member
    from Wa.St.

    A properly set up Q-Jet is the best of both worlds and they come in many CFM configurations.............
     
  12. BillBallingerSr
    Joined: Dec 20, 2007
    Posts: 651

    BillBallingerSr
    Member
    from In Hell

    I really like them too, but good rebuildable cores are getting hard to come by. And you have to have a light touch rebuilding them. One ham hander and its pretty much screwed. I had a Buick one, the big 455 stage I with pullover enrichment on the primary side that I pin drilled the secondary feeds to make it feed enough to need a 1/2 inch fuel line and electric pump to keep the bowl full at 5 psi when the secondaries came in. The baseplate just wore out, finally cracked between the middle on the primary shaft. Its in a box somewhere I think, and I may get it bushed again someday. The baseplate is not very forgiving, and the shafts bend easily. Its a tad on the flimsy side, but man what a carb! I used thin Devcon putty lightly on the welch plugs on the bottom and it never leaked.

    But that without a doubt was the best carb I ever had right with that 1970 750 DP I still have. Tuneability was so easy. I could change all four rods, the power piston spring and the rod hanger and the secondary airvalve diaphram and adapt it from a 350 to a 502 with about any cam. It also had the siphon break to prevent nozzle drip. I like the Thermoquad too, but they are harder to get stuff for than anything. If there was a carb to copy in aluminum as a two piece body like an AFB that would have been it. I have an 800 put up somewhere. If they had made the throttle plate and resin body a one piece aluminum piece with the regular aluminum top with the jets screwing into the bottom instead of the top with the press in o-ring in the main body that would have been something.
     
    Last edited: Jan 2, 2010
  13. mobileortho
    Joined: Oct 20, 2008
    Posts: 56

    mobileortho
    Member
    1. A-D Truckers

    That would have been my next move until the wire fried. I'm gonna borrow a distributer from a friend on mine to see if that's the culprit. the wires are new.
     
  14. spiderdeville
    Joined: Jun 30, 2007
    Posts: 1,134

    spiderdeville
    Member
    from BOGOTA,NJ

    holley in chapter 11 !! bg in chapter 11 ! edelbrock company up for sale ???
     
  15. Rudebaker
    Joined: Sep 14, 2007
    Posts: 1,598

    Rudebaker
    Member
    from Illinois

    They're not as plentiful as they once were that's for sure! Anytime somebody offers me a "QuadraJunK" I snag it for parts if nothing else. I only have 4 cores left and two of those need throttle shaft bushings. I had one with a secondary hanger that I have never found referenced anywhere in any books or parts lists. I had hour upon hour in that one and it worked SWEET. I loaned it to a friend to try out to see if his problem was the carb on a truck he was trying to sell. He said that was the best carb he ever ran, in fact it worked so good he let my carb go with the truck!!! :eek: He's made it up to me a few times over in the years since but man was I pissed at the time!
     
  16. haroldd1963
    Joined: Oct 15, 2007
    Posts: 1,153

    haroldd1963
    Member
    from Peru, IL

    I just installed an Edelbrock 1406 carb on my 68 Galaxie with a 390 V8. Got everything set, timing and mixture, where it idles smooth. When I accelerate it wants to hesitate. I actually have to go very lightly on the pedal or feather it, otherwise it stumbles and sometimes dies.

    Before I tear into it, I wanted to get an opinion or 2 from someone who has more experience with an Edelbrock Carb.
     
  17. lippy
    Joined: Sep 27, 2006
    Posts: 6,825

    lippy
    Member
    from Ks

    I've had good luck with both Holley and Carter AFB.s Quadrajets are fine also. Holley's are the easiest to work on for me. Use Viton needle and seats and Holley gaskets. Never a problem. I bought a new 1850 600cfm manual choke holley, pit it on a 74 454 monte carlo with a Newly rebuilt engine. It had headers, performer intake and that was it. Stuck a set of slicks on it and won street eliminator with 15 minutes on the engine.:D Ran the quarter in second gear. It ran 14.98 at 100 mph even. That holley was out of the box. I set the idle screws and went to the track. Hauled it home, put the mufflers back on it and street tires and the wife drove it forever. I don't care for the Edelbrock carbs. Lippy
     
  18. zman
    Joined: Apr 2, 2001
    Posts: 16,730

    zman
    Member
    from Garner, NC

    What's your fuel pressure? Do you have a regulator? Set it to about 4 1/2 lbs. If you don't know the pressure or have a regulator on it then going any further is really a moot point.
     
  19. My experience with Edelbrocks is that they run fine out of the box, but the floats often need adjustment, if you run around a tight corner it may stall. Just my experience.

    I can't leave shit alone. I need to tinker with and modify everything. Holley is just the ticket for people like me.

    If I needed to get to work in a carb'ed car, It would probably have an Edelbrock.
     
  20. tjet
    Joined: Mar 16, 2009
    Posts: 1,335

    tjet
    Member
    1. Early Hemi Tech

    What is your TPI doing anyway? Are you sure it's the EFI & not something else? There can be a few issues outside of the FI that can mislead you into an incorrect diagnosis. The ignition system is just one of them.

    As far as comparing Holley vs Edelbrock, that's akin to Ford vs Chevy. The best way to decide is try them both & see what you like. You can find inexpensive cores online.

    I prefer the Q-jet myself. Although they are more complex than the other two styles, they are not as difficult as most people think. Once you know how to remove the top safely, it's easy to replace the primary jets & rods. The trick to a Q-jet is to get the primary side dialed in first before you touch the secondary side.

    I have a ton of tuning data on them if you are interested.
     
  21. jim_ss409
    Joined: Dec 2, 2008
    Posts: 202

    jim_ss409
    Member


    The 1406 carb is calibrated to run lean at part throttle. In your case it's probably just a little too lean.
    If you have the manual that came with the carb it's pretty good once you read it enough to get a handle on how things work. Here's a link to an on line manual.
    http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_new/mc/carbs_acc/pdf/carb_owners_manual.pdf
    It's very easy to change metering rods and springs in those carbs and chances are that's all it will take to have that thing running perfectly.
    You can get calibration kits at your local speed shop.
    Here's a link to specs for Edelbrock carbs.
    http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_new/mc/carbs_acc/performer.shtml
    If you compare the specs from your 1406 (economy 600cfm) to the 1405 (performance 600cfm) you'll see that the primary circuit has larger jets, a smaller metering rod and a stronger step up spring. The 1405's calibration will probably work better in your car.

    Sometimes you have a carb work perfectly right out of the box but sometimes you're not so lucky. It doesn't mean the carb is good or bad it's just that it's calibration doesn't match your engine's needs.

    When you understand how to set the carb up properly you don't have to rely on luck, you can just recalibrate the carb.
     
    Last edited: Mar 20, 2010
  22. CONNMAN
    Joined: Jul 19, 2006
    Posts: 1,297

    CONNMAN
    Member
    from Lampe,Mo.

    >>>>>,Back in summer of '71 ,,when i was with the Fred Gibb/Dick Harrell Super Stock Race Team ,,before Dick got killed ,,even tho we were sponsored by Carter Carbs ,,when we went racing ,,we put Holleys on the tunnell ram ,,and enough decals on the see thru hood scoop to hid em ,,Carters were NOT producing the horsepower Holleys were ,,NOR the tuneability for different climate / temp chages ,,Edelbrocks ain't even as good as those old Carters were ,,SO ,,,Go with Holleys,,
    [​IMG]
     
  23. zman
    Joined: Apr 2, 2001
    Posts: 16,730

    zman
    Member
    from Garner, NC

    the part about the climate/temp changes is laughable.... :eek:
     
  24. CONNMAN
    Joined: Jul 19, 2006
    Posts: 1,297

    CONNMAN
    Member
    from Lampe,Mo.

    >>>>>,A Good Q-Jet is a TON better than a Edelbrock ,,i have a trick atlitude compensating Q-Jet on my BB Hurst/Olds powered '78 GMC FWD Motor Home,,,great CARB ,,
     
  25. DAVEG2
    Joined: Feb 27, 2010
    Posts: 332

    DAVEG2
    Member

    I like the Holleys. I've used them since '72 and have never had any major trouble.
     
  26. Liking Holley more these days. For 15 years I put Edelbrocks on everything. Not so sure about that now............
     
  27. mobileortho
    Joined: Oct 20, 2008
    Posts: 56

    mobileortho
    Member
    1. A-D Truckers

    I need to decide pretty quick, I just sold the TPI. Looked at a new Holley 600 with electric choke tonight at Oreilly's for $259. I also have a friend who bought a new Edelbrock and is willing to give me his old one. HHHHMMMMMMMMM!
     
  28. A cheap Holley will act like a cheap Edelbrock. Thats why you see them at give away prices at swap meets! The ones that have the race bowls and metering plates on each end will give years of great reliability , perform way better than the cheaper carbs and are very easy to tune. If you are lookingt for a 600 cfm, heres the best.
    http://www.summitracing.com/parts/HLY-0-4776C/
     
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2010
  29. Chairmnofthboard
    Joined: Mar 23, 2010
    Posts: 42

    Chairmnofthboard
    Member
    from So Cal

    For reliability, EFI is king.
     
  30. What experience do you have with Holleys. I have run a ton of them and like any carb, if you get shit in them, all of them will need work often. I use a good filter and I bolted a used 800 DP on a car I drive on the street and that I race. This carb has been on my car for 9 years without one thing done except when I first bolted it on, I adjusted the idle air screws. I dyno'd it 4 years ago with a wide band and it was dead nuts on every part of the RPM band. Again, this was used and I just bolted it on. I sit in traffic for hours, race it and do everything that anyone does when driving a fun car. Holleys do not need tinkering all the time. There are hardly any moving parts compared to a Q jet, Edelbrock, or any other carb. Therefore there are less things to go wrong! Check out my video of my car in a movie. It has a stock Pontiac 400 in it with just an aftermarket distributer, intake, carb and exhaust. I do 12.5 seconds in the 1/4 on pump gas, my car weighs 3810 lbs, it has non ported heads and it does 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds when hooking at the track. The tires on it are the stickiest tires you can buy for street strip and this thing will fry tires even at 20 miles per hour. The throttle response is incredible! Go Holley! Judge for yourself!
    This is the 800 Dbl pumper Holley that hasn't seen one adjustment in 9 years!

    http://www.youtube.com/sixt8bird#p/a/u/0/6dTfMAH9UL8

    Here are some details and the throttle response a Holley has!

    http://www.youtube.com/sixt8bird#p/a/u/1/Xuq-3a0AHEU

    I have no choke and when I fire it up after sitting for months on end, it takes all of 1 second of turning the key and vroooom! I can floor it and fry tires without any hesitation!!Not recommended as I don't think its good on your cold engine parts but it has been done!! A few times.
     

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