Is the teapot holley carb any good?

My first engine was a 51 Merc with domed pistons, offy heads and 4 barrel intake with a Holley tepot carb. I never got it to run because I was young and dumb and put the rod caps on backwards. I always wondered if the teapot carb was any good on the flattie. I never seem to see them on hotrods.

 

How did you mount a Holley teapot on a 4 barrel intake?

To answer your question, it's a fine carb for a 2 barrel, which also explains why you don't see them on Hot Rods.

 

Early T birds used them, not sure if it's the same teapot carb, but it is an "upside down" holley 4bbl. I think they made both 2 and 4bbl versions?

 

Isn't that what they call the really tall 4 barrel holley? I'm talking about one like in this picture...

 

I've always heard the nick name towering inferno but there are an ass load of them on the road. I don't believe a lot of this stuff unless someone can say that they actually had a problem with one. Usually it's someone retelling rumors like all flatheads over heat. Lots of the "little Birds' running them. They are an ugly carb tho.

 

It looks good with a Tbird air filter on it

 

I don't know about using the 4bbl Teapot in places it didn't come, but I do know that the one on my 56 T Bird 312 is a miserable pile that, from what I am told only works with the equally miserable Load A Matic distributor. Both will be coming off soon!

 

Kustoms have 2 barrels.

 

The so-called teapot Holley came in both 2 and 4 barrel varieties.

The 2 barrel was the model 1901-FF

The 4 barrels were models 2140, and 4000.

You can read lots of opinions on the internet concerning their quality; the bad mostly from folks who are too lazy to read the service bulletins.

The first carburetor I rebuilt was a Holley 4000 AS A 15 YEAR OLD! The carburetor on a 1956 Ford 292 gave me more than 100,000 trouble-free miles (well, if you can call 12 MPG trouble-free). Remember, this one built by a 15 year old kid.

Jon.

 

T-pot holleys ..................... Yeah, they're fine for decorations ! They leaked , the dislike being rebuilt and they're notoriously fussy to maintain . Unless you really HAVE to have one of the damn things in a Factory Origional class, I'd get as far as I could away from them ! scrubba

 

Actually, the teapot carburetor will work just fine with any distributor, so long as you don't leave any vacuum connections open. The Load-A-Matic distributor, depends on the teapot carb to advance properly.

 

But isn't there a problem getting the proper vacuum signal for a standard distributor, or have I been mislead?
And we know the Load A Matics are very lazy on the advance curve, but aren't the T Pots pretty lazy on accel also?

 

I was planning on running a pair of them when I was on a 368 binge.

 

I have heard a lot a bad things about them but I really never had any specific carburetor trouble with the one I ran on my 56 Ford 292 for 5 years.

 

....I've got a stock one on a stock '56 Lincoln 368. Had it rebuilt by pros who knew what they were doing. No leaks, no flames, no problems...just wish I had two of them......and Tommy's intake stash.....(sigh)...

 

Not to change the subject, but has anyone seen a factory installed Holley 4-bbl on a '65?? T'bird???
Wierd lookin'!! It has 2 choke horns on it..
Got one in my garage somewhere that I'll have to dig out and post a pic of...

 

These carbs are so ugly, that they are cool. Love that dual carb setup.

 

I like them.
I have a 55 T-bird carb on my 39 Ford flathead that's been running well for over 22 years.
I also have 2 of them from a 56 Ford running on my 32 Ford (flathead powered). They run well and don't leak. Stock Holley jets fit these carbs, along with the Holley secondary spring kits, but some of the other parts are a bit difficult to get.

 

"Holley model 4000 Teapot". "Engineering marvel or fire starter?" "The debate over this carb still rages." Good article on page 18 of Hemmings July 2011 issue. I ran it trouble-free on my 53 Merc throughout high school years. Fast-forward 26 years later...bought into the towering inferno potential and now have a 46-48 Lincoln Zephyr 4-bolt base on my original 4-bolt Merc intake with a 3-bolt Holley 94 sitting atop.

 

The old "flattie" 4 barrell intakes can also use the Carter WCFB or the early Rochester 4 barrels which share the small base.

 

we called them "spook house" holley's

 

Don
My first ever 2x4 had a pair of rthem. We called them a tea kettle, but I have heard of them being called a towering inferno as well. If they are up in shape they work real well for the time period. You do have to stay on top of them as they have a tendency to drool.

There is a problem with using them today. You cannot get a power valve for them so you have to block it and tune around it. It is not impossible to run them power valve delete but it does require a little tunning to make them work.

 

I ran one on my 292 in my '56 Ford convert, turned 92 MPH in 14.50 every Sunday at Fremont drags ('58-'59)
Not a screamer, but was consistent. Slight fuel leakage once, did a carb rebuild and grinding compound on glass for the flat surfaces.

That car was one of my favorites, had torque AND RPM.

 

?????




Jon.

 

I had one on a four bbl on a 54 Merc, took it off and used an early rochester was easier to service.

 

I heard Birdcage 4bbl. I have one that came in my 57 country sedan.
I put a 2 bbl manifold on it and just ran that. Its in the cabinet with 57K miles.

 

Jon
I was told recently that they were not available and the fella seemed like a pretty concientious sort so I just considered it to be true.

 

P & B - they were unavailable, but since I believe they should be in the rebuilding kits, I traded MANY portraits of dead presidents in green frames to a screw machine company to have them made so we can put them in the rebuilding kits.

Jon.

 

Benno, That was me. We spoke on the phone.
After we chatted I was made aware that they were available, but only in a complete rebuild kit. NOT sold separately.
To get my stuff going, I took several of them: Cleaned in lacquer thinner, then staked each until I had 2 that didn't leak. Carbs work fine now.
Jim

 

Good to know. I am just terrible with names and never seem to remember from one time to the next who I have been talking to.