Just purchased a 350 small block for a Bucket T project. Stock engine 270 HP, but less carb. What carb and CFM do I need? What have you had good luck with?
picking a carb is like picking a wife, what works for me might not work for you. Look for about 600 cfm
Holley 600 vac secondary, good repsonse and not overkill. The carb calculator will call for a smaller carb 450-500cfm, but with the vacuum secondary you pull what you need. Don't know about carter edelbrock but alot of people like those as they seem to run well out of the box...I like to tinker with my stuff
X2. I've had a Holley #4160, 600 cfm, vacuum secondaries, square bore flange, on a sbc 350/290 hp for five years.
Uh does it have an intake manifold? That may be a deciding factor. if it is a 2 bbl manifold a sqraue bore holley isn't going to work. If it is a stock 4 bbl manifold a square bore carb is not going to work without an adaptor. GM didn't put square bore carbs on 350s at least not on any low performance 350 I have even seen. The holley 600 Vac secondary is your best bet for an out of the box carb for the engine in question. it is simple and easy. set it and forget it. You may need to change the secondary spring to get it to open the secondaries when you want them to open. But if you have a spread bore (stock 4 bbl intake) you maybe want to think about a Q jet or a Holley Spread Bore ( Q jet replacement) for a bolt on. If it is a 2 bbl manifold then a rochester 2G 2 bbl is the most likely replacement for what is missing.
Qjets are in a class by themselves, they were used as standard equipment on everything from the 230 ci Pontiac OHC six, to the 500 ci Caddy. The small primarys and huge secondary air valve let the carb work on just about anything.
I never have liked them personally but they were or are a good carb when they are working properly. I wouldn't shy away from a good one to get me from point A to point B.
Again the Edelbrock 1406, 600 CFM, great out of the box. Saw a brand new one on ebay today with a high bid of $73.00.
i always had holley,s but i pick up a brand new edelbrock 600cfm for a 100.00 i put on my 292 y-block in my 58 works great sofar
I just bought a brand new 290 HP 350 GM crate motor. http://www.crateenginedepot.com/350-Crate-Engine-290-HP-HO-12499529-P824C2.aspx GM recommends a 670 CFM cab for the engine.
600cfm would be plenty. A Edelbrock or Holley, which ever you decide will be a good pick. The only thing you might need to consider if choosing a Holley Vac Secondary is the weight of the car. A bucket T does not weight much and might not load the engine down enough to open the secondary.
fortunately you can buy a spring assortment from Holley to tailor the secondary opening to work properly.
You can buy a spring assortment for a holley, but a Vac Secondary carb works better on a heavier car. With the lightest spring in it, you might not get the all for barrels.
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