[Shyguy]

Originally Posted by piecesparts

It is your choice, but I have run the Carter and the Edelbrock AFB design carbs for quite some time (Believe it or not, they are the exact same carb design) and managed to find the right combination for driving on the highway with them. I have had good luck with them.

If you are running a basically stock engine and want to get around without a lot of problems, then you might consider an Edelbrock 600 CFM or 650 CFM size. Many want to go right to the 750 or 800 CFM sizes but that size can cause problems with your performance and not gain ANY fuel milage.

As I stated, I have run the AFBs for awhile and I did try the 750 cfm size on my 383 stroker engine in my 84 GMC---the carb created one heck of a tall top end ability---allowing me to run up to the 6000 RPMs without any loss of fuel, but drivning around citiy streets it caused my engine to bog and slobber badly. I then communicated with several carb manufacturers (Holley, Edelbrock, and Barry Grant) and their recommendation was: For a heavier vehicle (my truck weighs in around 4000 lbs) a smaller CFM rating will give you better air flow velocity. That is what makes the engine work more efficiently not the overall carb size. They were all in agreement and so I went to a 650 CFM Edelbrock AVS carb and even though I lost some top end RPMs (Not much) I now have a carb that runs my engine well on the street. The gaggle about whether or not to run a vacuum secondary is a worthwhile consideration, but as I also stated, I worked out the needle and jet combinations on my carb to where the issue is not a problem with the mechanical secondarys on my truck.

What you buy is your choice, but be smart in carb size and don't overdo it. I have a stroker engine in my truck and my son has a stock 350 in his truck and we are running smaller carbs to get the daily driving ease, but the two trucks do run quite well.

It really sounds like you have done a lot of research and are very knowledgeable of carbs and which one should be used for different engines.

I figured since you are so informed I would ask what carb would be good for my '73 stock 454 with headers.

Danny