Decisions, Decisions ...Which carb should I buy

[kcsa75]

My 72 C-10 has a bone-stock 350 crate motor. I had the Quadrajet rebuilt last spring, but the guy that did the work told me the carb was pretty rough but he did the best that he could. It performed OK for a while, but its acting up again and I don't want to put any more money into it.

I kind of figured on going with an Edelbrock 1406 (600CFM) http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_...erformer.shtml, but my mechanic is a Holley guy. I'd always heard that Holley's were fine carbs, but not necessarily a good choice for the street, as they are rather temperamental. And I don't have the desire or skill to be messing with it.

At any rate, using the Interactive Carb Selector on the Holley.com, I came up with this: http://www.holley.com/0-80457S

From a price standpoint, it's six one way, half dozen the other. So I'm turning to my friends here for suggestions, pros, cons, etc.

Any help/advice would be appreciated.

[Lattimer]

I had an Eddy 1406, and its a POS. I considered going with a Holley, but in the end I wound up buying a Street Demon 625. So far I am very happy with it in every respect.

I know very little about carbs, and I have been able to tune this thing very easily.

[Roger71SWB]

I have the edelbrock 600cfm on my 350 no problems at all. Ill i had to do was put it on and adjust the idel.
Just my 2 cents

[bigmac73]

my personal opinion, is get a Holley, i put a Edlebrock 850 on a Big Block Mopar and never could get it to run right, i called the company several times , changed metering rods and springs ect ect , but always had a stumble, and hesitation, so after a couple of months i finally replaced it with a Holley , never had any problems,
I heard good things about the old Carter AFB's back in the day as well i think summit still sells them??

[Coley]

Stock 350? Stick with the Quadrajet, wherein:
Is the existing quadrajet the original carb? (check the number group stamped on the carb body vertically just in behind the drivers side throttle linkage...post it up).
I would either have the original quadrajet professionally rebuilt? or buy one that is professionally rebuilt and ensure it is a correct carb for your truck and application....avoid the grab and run Craigslist jobs unless you know what you are doing and looking for. LOL
When the quadrajet is professionally rebuilt and set, it is a great carb, good mileage and good power.
Keep it simple....stick with a quadrajet in good condition, you won't be disappointed.
My two bits.
Coley

[leftybass209]

The 1406 ran like crap for me. Once it gets clogged it's a paperweight and needs rebuilding. My brother rebuilds carbs a lot and the info he gave me was- the 1406 will run fine and be great for daily purposes IF the fuel system is clean, and the fuel pressure is correct for the application. He dislikes them but runs one faultless on his daily driver. I wouldn't call them junk because too many people have had success with them. Understanding how to tune and maintain a healthy carb is key.

[hugger6933]

Edelbrock 1606 GOOD Glass filter close to the inlet, then a pressure regulator dialed down to 5.5 PSI or less. Set them once and then your done. Most time they are so close out of the box. The most problem people have with them is flooding and that is due to the needle and seat either being stuck open by thrash [that is where the good glass filter comes in] or blown open by too much pressure [that is the reason for the adjustable regulator dial type works great here]. If those things are done most all of the problems are taken care of and they will preform very well in a street driving daily type setting. I have always had a saying, Holleys if you want to race, Edelbrocks if you want to ride. Jim

[Coley]

Originally Posted by hugger6933

I have always had a saying, Holleys if you want to race, Edelbrocks if you want to ride. Jim

....and Quadrajets if you want it to start"

...LOL, sorry about that Jim....my sense of humour got the best of me.

All Good
Coley

[DT1]

Originally Posted by Coley

Stock 350? Stick with the Quadrajet, wherein:
Is the existing quadrajet the original carb? (check the number group stamped on the carb body vertically just in behind the drivers side throttle linkage...post it up).
I would either have the original quadrajet professionally rebuilt? or buy one that is professionally rebuilt and ensure it is a correct carb for your truck and application....avoid the grab and run Craigslist jobs unless you know what you are doing and looking for. LOL
When the quadrajet is professionally rebuilt and set, it is a great carb, good mileage and good power.
Keep it simple....stick with a quadrajet in good condition, you won't be disappointed.
My two bits.
Coley

X2 IMHO The best carburetor for a stock 350 is a Rochester Quad.

[kcsa75]

Originally Posted by Coley

Stock 350? Stick with the Quadrajet, wherein:
Is the existing quadrajet the original carb? (check the number group stamped on the carb body vertically just in behind the drivers side throttle linkage...post it up).
I would either have the original quadrajet professionally rebuilt? or buy one that is professionally rebuilt and ensure it is a correct carb for your truck and application....avoid the grab and run Craigslist jobs unless you know what you are doing and looking for. LOL
When the quadrajet is professionally rebuilt and set, it is a great carb, good mileage and good power.
Keep it simple....stick with a quadrajet in good condition, you won't be disappointed.
My two bits.
Coley

The original carb is long gone. The carb on the truck when I bought came off a late 70s Buick/Olds. The carb that's on it now was for a 75 or 76 Chevy with AT. More than one person told me it would be a good fit. It was supposedly a rebuilt carb that had been sitting on the shelf for a few years ("I bought it for my Camaro and ran it for 3,000 miles, blah, blah, blah). I had it professionally rebuilt by a guy that knows what he's doing. But here I am back in the same boat.

I'm as big a fan of Q'jets as anyone. When I was in high school I worked for a guy that could make them do everything but sing and dance. But they haven't made one in more than 25 years. I guess I could get lucky, but odds are I'm going to have to buy three or four before I find a good one that set up correctly - National rebuilder or no.

Or I can buy a brand new carb, spend less money and be reasonably sure I won't be having to be asking you guys for advice for a number of years.

[Tom Vogel]

Originally Posted by Coley

Stock 350? Stick with the Quadrajet, wherein:
Is the existing quadrajet the original carb? (check the number group stamped on the carb body vertically just in behind the drivers side throttle linkage...post it up).
I would either have the original quadrajet professionally rebuilt? or buy one that is professionally rebuilt and ensure it is a correct carb for your truck and application....avoid the grab and run Craigslist jobs unless you know what you are doing and looking for. LOL
When the quadrajet is professionally rebuilt and set, it is a great carb, good mileage and good power.
Keep it simple....stick with a quadrajet in good condition, you won't be disappointed.
My two bits.
Coley

^^^^^^^Yup

[CC69Rat]

I messed around with an Eddy 1406 on the GMC I had a while back. It was giving us trouble at first and going back to what Hugger mentioned, as I found in my research too most of the problems with the 1406/1407 carbs is people will install them with the OE style fuel pump. This type pump will push about 9psi in most cases. Edelbrock carbs are designed to run in about 5-6psi range. That's why you will either have to run the pressure regulator OR -- and Edelbrock fuel pump.

This is what I did (fuel pump) As soon as we changed it out, the problems went away. Just sayin ..

Also there is a spacer you can run between the carb and the intake to keep the heat off the carb, I hear this really helps the Edelbrocks.

I'm a Holley guy too, I have ran them for years but I think the Edelbrock is designed to be used more as an all inclusive thing, to get them to run like they were designed they want you to have to buy all Edelbrock matched parts. Kinda goofy really but .. just my .02.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...d.php?t=400798

http://www.nastyz28.com/forum/showthread.php?t=220512

Here's the fuel pump I ran
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ed...make/chevrolet

Good luck brother.
Chad

[Lattimer]

Originally Posted by CC69Rat

I messed around with an Eddy 1406 on the GMC I had a while back. It was giving us trouble at first and going back to what Hugger mentioned, as I found in my research too most of the problems with the 1406/1407 carbs is people will install them with the OE style fuel pump. This type pump will push about 9psi in most cases. Edelbrock carbs are designed to run in about 5-6psi range. That's why you will either have to run the pressure regulator OR -- and Edelbrock fuel pump.

This is what I did (fuel pump) As soon as we changed it out, the problems went away. Just sayin ..

Also there is a spacer you can run between the carb and the intake to keep the heat off the carb, I hear this really helps the Edelbrocks.

I'm a Holley guy too, I have ran them for years but I think the Edelbrock is designed to be used more as an all inclusive thing, to get them to run like they were designed they want you to have to buy all Edelbrock matched parts. Kinda goofy really but .. just my .02.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...d.php?t=400798

http://www.nastyz28.com/forum/showthread.php?t=220512

Here's the fuel pump I ran
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ed...make/chevrolet

Good luck brother.
Chad

I went through all of that with mine and still never got it to run decent. Added spacer, regulator, etc. Always bogged when the secondaries came on and never would idle right. Then wouldn't start when hot. Had a couple of trusted people look at it and still didn't get anywhere.

Gave up and threw it in a box.

[CC69Rat]

Originally Posted by Lattimer

I went through all of that with mine and still never got it to run decent. Added spacer, regulator, etc. Always bogged when the secondaries came on and never would idle right. Then wouldn't start when hot. Had a couple of trusted people look at it and still didn't get anywhere.

Gave up and threw it in a box.

In all fairness.. replacing the carb fixed the problem?

I'm just sharing what worked for me. .. that's all.

[Lattimer]

Originally Posted by CC69Rat

In all fairness.. replacing the carb fixed the problem?

I'm just sharing what worked for me. .. that's all.

Yes it did. No more issues.


I'm just stating what didn't work for me............I think its one of those YMMV kind of things.

[manimal]

I HATE edelbrock carbs...wont ever see one in the winners circle. Also agree with the Q-Jet..awesome carbs. Get Cliff Ruggles book....and STAY AWAY from glass filters! if it cracks,you burn up.

[Mt Airy]

I am looking at the quick fire carbs my self . It is the way I am leaning . They are a American made carb IN Boling Green KY

[Mt Airy]

Originally Posted by Mt Airy

I am looking at the quick fire carbs my self . It is the way I am leaning . They are a American made carb IN Boling Green KY

I could no longer edite it so ' Quick fuel is the name and they are a Holley design
and some say they are better.

[Russ.W.]

These new (ish) Street Demon 625's are getting some good reviews.

http://www.demoncarbs.com/1901.asp

Chuck's Garage - Street Demon Install - YouTube

[Lattimer]

Originally Posted by Russ.W.

These new (ish) Street Demon 625's are getting some good reviews.

http://www.demoncarbs.com/1901.asp

Chuck's Garage - Street Demon Install - YouTube

Thats what I've got.

[CC69Rat]

Id rather have the Holley too. Glad it took care of the issues

[GMCJOE]

I am currently running an Edelbrock 1806 Thunder Series AVS. It performers very well, but still missing that seat of your pants go like you get with a Q-Jet. Nothing like hitting that peddle down, hearing those secondaries open up and throwing you back in the seat.

I have also ran the 1406 on the same motor. Kept having the typical boiling of fuel in the bowl and extend crank issue.

Before long I will be purchasing a quadra-jet from SMI Carburetor. I have know a few people that have purchased from them, and have nothing but praise for them. Plus, the customer feed back seems great on their website.

Check them out, pretty good price and seems like a great option.

http://www.smicarburetor.com/product...ID2/9/sfID3/32

[bbcmudtruck]

I've ran quite a few different carbs, including 1450s, 4500 dominator, 600 eddy, two different demons and hell even a carter afb. In all, every carb had to be tuned. My dad is the carb genius and was my pit crew for the mudruns. The eddy was a little more difficult to tune, but other than that it ran ok when dialed in. It did seem as though he messed around with the eddy a lot more than the others. The Carter was used when I got it. We put a rebuild kit in it and it was easy to tune and ran like a champ. As far as the 1450s go, they have always been my favorite and my dads. My dad ran the demons for a little while and switched over to a dominator. He wont go back to demon or eddy in the future. I just scored a brand new in the box holley street avenger to replace my leaky old 4160 on the motor that came in my truck. I got it off ebay for less than 225 shipped! I haven't had a chance to put it on yet, but the user reviews seem to be ok, especially for a street truck with mild power levels. Once I get a chance to actually use it, I'll post up the reviews. Holley really seems to have their stuff together when it comes to carbs.

[68Stepbed]

I ran a 570 Holley Street Avenger on my 350 crate engine for several years. I had to change the jets, squirters, and I think the power valve(can't remember) for initial tuning. After that, I never had to mess with it. I didn't have to readjust it every time the temperature or weather changed as most complain about with Holleys. The Street Avenger series are great carbs, but still need a bit of fine tuning. It's not as difficult as you may think. They're close out of the box, but still need to tuned to the particular engine they're installed on.

Don't buy the 600 Holley you posted. It's more of a "universal" carb, meaning it requires a bit more tuning, and will be a bit more of a headache to get "right".

Here's the most basic problem people have with Holleys: Power Valves. These are often overlooked and usually the cause for most peoples aggravation with Holley carbs. Power valves are numbered like 8.5, 6.5, 4.5, etc. That number needs to be about half of what you're idle vacuum is. If your idle vacuum is above 20" of mercury, then a 10.5 power valve may be what you need. If it's 18", then the 8.5 is the right one. So on, and so forth from there. Most "universal Holleys and bigger racing Holleys come standard with a 6.5 PV, which is usually the culprit for an off idle bog in a Holley due to the fact it isn't opening quick enough and starves the engine of fuel. Basically, the larger the number, the quicker it opens. There's more to explain, but you would get more confused.

Jetting is fairly simple. The jets just determine how much fuel is fed during part throttle, or "normal cruise" conditions You just read plugs to determine jet tuning. Take a drive by driving normal for about 10-15 miles, after the engine has warmed up good(Doing this on a cold engine can lead to false plug readings.) then pull a plug. If the ceramic is light colored and almost white, you need larger jets. If it's dark brown or black, you need smaller jets. Always make jets changes in 2 size increments.