Carburetor question for 66 C-10 with 283

[AslanRules]

Originally Posted by markeb01

If it were mine, I wouldn't replace the carb. It would be a lot cheaper to simply add a manual choke kit, which is a simple bolt on:

http://www.jegs.com/i/Holley/510/45-...FSCjiQodkXSuPQ

Thanks for the link.

What you have is known to fit, and probably works fine, but you won't be able to tell until the manifold leaks are fixed. Unless you're after performance potential I'd stick with the stock cast iron manifold. One nice feature is they almost never warp, which is a risk with used aluminum manifolds.

My son-in-law is pushing me towards Edelbrock.....and you have stated previously that they are easier to maintain and rebuild, especially for a rook. And I can sell the Holley to offset the new purchase. By performance, I assume that you mean acceleration, etc. I'm not interested in racing, but it's nice to get up and go occasionally. But not at the expense of mpg. I'll probably keep the original manifold.....but just for yucks, would I realize $200 worth of difference with a NEW Edelbrock manifold to go with my NEW Edelbrock 1405?

As for the HEI, in order to have a baseline it would be a good idea to replace the cap and rotor, or at least inspect the contacts for pitting or corrosion. There really isn't any maintenance required unless the area of the centrifugal weights gets really cruddy. You might also want to check the condition of the vacuum advance. It can be tested easily with a timing light. Disconnect the vacuum line to it and plug the line. Idle the engine and check the timing. Connect a hose from a full vacuum manifold vacuum source (or a vacuum pump). If the vacuum advance is working, the timing will advance.

Looks like a timing light and vaccum gauge are in my future. Wish I had kept my Penske stuff from years ago.

Rookie question: is the HEI cap and rotor one-size-fits-all, or do I need to get a part number from the existing dizzy?

The money I didn't spend on a carburetor or manifold, I'd invest in a new gas tank. If the repair wasn't done any better than the manifold, the tank could be in worse shape than if it hadn't been "fixed" in the first place. Debris in the gas tank can lead to endless problems that can be hard to diagnose. If you do replace the tank, replace the filter again in case anything was disturbed during the exchange.

Yeah.....I was afraid of that.

I'm an old guy, and have observed that competency isn't age related. I've met guys much older than me, and others half my age that know more than I'll ever learn.

By all means.........I just didn't want to offend anyone by continuing to call the previous owner "the old guy".

Thanks,

Randy