Tuning my Edelbrock #1406 Carb??? - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

HotRod929 · 03-13-2003, 02:28 PM

Ok I went from a QuadraJet to the 1406 and I love the 1406 but it doesnt have the same kick as the QuadraJet hade when you mash down the gas and the secondaries come open. I was wonder what I can do to make my 1406 have the kick? What jets/metering rods can or should I change? Also what size secondary jets should I go to? Do I need to take my carb of the truck to do any of this work. Thanks

HotRod

Bill72BB · 03-13-2003, 02:35 PM

Common problem , I would change the secondary jet's .098 =4% richer,.101= 8%, .104=12% .

I use .101 .
Good Luck

**COBALT** · 03-13-2003, 02:39 PM

...and it's easy to do. You should be able to get new jets/metering rods from Summit, Jegs, or any parts distributor worth their salt.

I'll probably do the same after I've ran my 1406 for a while (I haven't swapped carbs yet; that's this weeekend!)

Have fun.

HotRod929 · 03-13-2003, 02:42 PM

How easy is it to do? I looked at the Edelbrock website for infor but did not see any pictures or directions on how to do it. Are there any other websites or places that show how to do it and I can do this while the carb is still on the truck right? Thanks

HotRod

Long Knight · 03-13-2003, 02:58 PM

It's in the manual that came with your carb. Tells you the steps and even has a chart to determine which rods to change to. Also, one of the best resources for info is the Edl. 1-800 # in the manual!

Frank_Zeller · 03-13-2003, 03:05 PM

You can modify the secondary air valve to open quicker. You remove about an 1/8 of an inch from the bottom of the counter weight. Search on line......i bet there is a web site with the info.

72CustomCamper · 03-13-2003, 03:14 PM

This is what I did to make mine more responsive:

On the front driver's side of the carb, there is a linkage arm attached to the main throttle. This drives the accelerator pump on intial mashing to "inject" a burst of fuel into the carb. The rocker above the accelerator pump has small holes drilled in it. Re-position the linkage into the hole closest to the pivot and your accelerator pump will react quicker and with a longer stroke.

I'd post a picture, but the carb and the SB it was attached to are all sold

lukecp · 03-13-2003, 04:56 PM

I swapped metering rods on my #1406 for more power. I put in a set of #1455 rods, which is about 6% richer than stock on the primaries. It takes all of five minutes to swap rods, just look in your owner's manual. I haven't tried to jet the secondaries richer, but i proably will soon....

crazy longhorn · 03-13-2003, 05:56 PM

Hotrod, I dont think you will find that "seat of the pants" kick from a squarebore carb like the spreadbore had. I have been a holley nut since way back when the dinos ruled the earth, but am running a 1407 edel on my 383. What I have seen , is that the spreadbore carbs(be it Holley, or the good old Q jet) have good throttle response due to the small primarys(also good milage), & will have a good feel when you boot them in the @ss. The squarebore carbs tend to make more power all the way up the range, but not as "feelable" when you crash them open.......look at it from a 1/4 mi run, WOT from start to end. I think you will find most guys running a square bore carb. i cant complain about the edelbrock on my 383, but I have built/tuned Holley, carter, rochester Q jet, & the edel(same as a carter).......they all have their different Quirks, but for all out racing I would run a squarebore Holley hands down! take a look in edel site for tuning info & charts......lots of good info! does it run rich , or lean.......& where? install a vac guage on your dash, & use it as a tuning tool! GMC Paul has good info on that on his site. askthe ? what does it do.....& where does it do it...... I can tell you what mods I did to my 1407 on the 383 , but it wont help you! every combo tunes a little differently, & its up to you to "read the combo". I hope you dont veiw this as arrogant, or "cocky", as its the best advice this oldman can give.........do all the reading you can to understand why it works , or doesnt.......& you will have 1/2 of the battle. Good luck, crazyL

tom hand · 03-13-2003, 08:18 PM

I agree with everything crazy longhorn said but would like to add one thing... if you are still using the stock trottle linkage [be it cable or rod] and took off a quadrajet and bolted an edelbrock on without ajusting it you won't get full trottle... have someone mash the peddle to the floor and look down the carb to make sure...works best with the motor off..lol

Bill72BB · 03-13-2003, 10:49 PM

Tom;
Brought up a good point ,I forgot I had to make a bracket that moved the Throttle cable back about 1 " to get full throttle .

03-13-2003, 02:35 PM	#2
Bill72BB Thats the Hillbilly way Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Torrance,Ca Posts: 5,980	Common problem , I would change the secondary jet's .098 =4% richer,.101= 8%, .104=12% . I use .101 . Good Luck __________________ BILL Torrance Calif 90504 Member DUF Club Member Old Farts Club 72 3/4ton Custom Camper BB402/400 trans Dynomax Cerama-coat headers , Hei distributor ,Edelbrock 1411 air,ps,pb,leafsprings ,98 chevy 60/40 seat,S10 shoulder belts tilt,3.54 Dana 60 rear. 16" Eagle wheels with LT265/75 16 tires,Gaylord Lid,H4 headlights with 100W relay conversion. " If I knew I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself " Marriage changes passion...suddenly you're in bed with a relative. A GUY'S PRAYER.... Lord, I pray for a nympho with huge boobs who owns a liquor store and likes to fish and hunt and has a Harley .Amen ,

03-13-2003, 02:39 PM	#3
COBALT Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Seattle, WA, USA Posts: 5,817	...and it's easy to do. You should be able to get new jets/metering rods from Summit, Jegs, or any parts distributor worth their salt. I'll probably do the same after I've ran my 1406 for a while (I haven't swapped carbs yet; that's this weeekend!) Have fun. __________________ '69 3/4 ton C20 2wd-350ci/TH400 '69 3/4 ton Custom 20 2wd-350ci/4sp Manual '99 2wd 5.7 Chevy Tahoe Seattle, WA.

03-13-2003, 02:42 PM	#4
HotRod929 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Bondurant, IA but in Worcester, MA for school Posts: 767	How easy is it to do? I looked at the Edelbrock website for infor but did not see any pictures or directions on how to do it. Are there any other websites or places that show how to do it and I can do this while the carb is still on the truck right? Thanks HotRod __________________ 1970 Chevy C-20 350 V-8 Turbo 350 w/ shift kit Dana 60 w/ 4.10 gears AND Powr-Loc POSI New Additions: Summit Headers 135amp alternator Proform HEI Edelbrock 1406 600cfm carb Sunpro Tach Powr-Loc POSI Edelbrock Performer RPM Intake MSD 6A Ignition Box AIM: HotRod929 Visit My Site: http://1970chevy.netfirms.com/

03-13-2003, 02:58 PM	#5
Long Knight Spank 'em if you got 'em! Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Kansas City Posts: 628	It's in the manual that came with your carb. Tells you the steps and even has a chart to determine which rods to change to. Also, one of the best resources for info is the Edl. 1-800 # in the manual! __________________ Long Knight '71 C-20, 350ci, TH350, Edl. 1406 Carb w/elec.choke, Ignitor ignition, Viper Tires, Orange Dipstick

03-13-2003, 03:05 PM	#6
Frank_Zeller Registered User Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 796	You can modify the secondary air valve to open quicker. You remove about an 1/8 of an inch from the bottom of the counter weight. Search on line......i bet there is a web site with the info. __________________ 69 SWB C/10 5-6 drop 700R4 69 Firebird Convert 455 4 spd 70 Torino GT Convert Austin-Texas

03-13-2003, 02:28 PM	#1
HotRod929 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Bondurant, IA but in Worcester, MA for school Posts: 767	Tuning my Edelbrock #1406 Carb??? Ok I went from a QuadraJet to the 1406 and I love the 1406 but it doesnt have the same kick as the QuadraJet hade when you mash down the gas and the secondaries come open. I was wonder what I can do to make my 1406 have the kick? What jets/metering rods can or should I change? Also what size secondary jets should I go to? Do I need to take my carb of the truck to do any of this work. Thanks HotRod __________________ 1970 Chevy C-20 350 V-8 Turbo 350 w/ shift kit Dana 60 w/ 4.10 gears AND Powr-Loc POSI New Additions: Summit Headers 135amp alternator Proform HEI Edelbrock 1406 600cfm carb Sunpro Tach Powr-Loc POSI Edelbrock Performer RPM Intake MSD 6A Ignition Box AIM: HotRod929 Visit My Site: http://1970chevy.netfirms.com/

03-13-2003, 03:14 PM	#7
72CustomCamper Registered User Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Bremerton, WA Posts: 86	This is what I did to make mine more responsive: On the front driver's side of the carb, there is a linkage arm attached to the main throttle. This drives the accelerator pump on intial mashing to "inject" a burst of fuel into the carb. The rocker above the accelerator pump has small holes drilled in it. Re-position the linkage into the hole closest to the pivot and your accelerator pump will react quicker and with a longer stroke. I'd post a picture, but the carb and the SB it was attached to are all sold __________________ '72 GMC C20, "2500 Super Custom", Custom Camper, New 454 '93 K2500 Suburban, Old 454 (157K)

03-13-2003, 04:56 PM	#8
lukecp Formerly yellow72custom Join Date: May 2001 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 7,531	I swapped metering rods on my #1406 for more power. I put in a set of #1455 rods, which is about 6% richer than stock on the primaries. It takes all of five minutes to swap rods, just look in your owner's manual. I haven't tried to jet the secondaries richer, but i proably will soon.... __________________ '72 Chevy C10 Mild 350/TH350/3.07. Ochre/White. Old high school ride. '70 GMC C2500 '62 327 4bbl/SM465/4.56-geared Dana 60. White/White. Project or parts truck. '97 Saturn SL DD. 1.9/5-speed. 40+ highway mpg

03-13-2003, 05:56 PM	#9
crazy longhorn Fabricate till you "puke" Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Ill Posts: 9,403	Hotrod, I dont think you will find that "seat of the pants" kick from a squarebore carb like the spreadbore had. I have been a holley nut since way back when the dinos ruled the earth, but am running a 1407 edel on my 383. What I have seen , is that the spreadbore carbs(be it Holley, or the good old Q jet) have good throttle response due to the small primarys(also good milage), & will have a good feel when you boot them in the @ss. The squarebore carbs tend to make more power all the way up the range, but not as "feelable" when you crash them open.......look at it from a 1/4 mi run, WOT from start to end. I think you will find most guys running a square bore carb. i cant complain about the edelbrock on my 383, but I have built/tuned Holley, carter, rochester Q jet, & the edel(same as a carter).......they all have their different Quirks, but for all out racing I would run a squarebore Holley hands down! take a look in edel site for tuning info & charts......lots of good info! does it run rich , or lean.......& where? install a vac guage on your dash, & use it as a tuning tool! GMC Paul has good info on that on his site. askthe ? what does it do.....& where does it do it...... I can tell you what mods I did to my 1407 on the 383 , but it wont help you! every combo tunes a little differently, & its up to you to "read the combo". I hope you dont veiw this as arrogant, or "cocky", as its the best advice this oldman can give.........do all the reading you can to understand why it works , or doesnt.......& you will have 1/2 of the battle. Good luck, crazyL

03-13-2003, 08:18 PM	#10
tom hand CCRider Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Olive Branch,MS,USA Posts: 2,232	I agree with everything crazy longhorn said but would like to add one thing... if you are still using the stock trottle linkage [be it cable or rod] and took off a quadrajet and bolted an edelbrock on without ajusting it you won't get full trottle... have someone mash the peddle to the floor and look down the carb to make sure...works best with the motor off..lol __________________ 72 GMC Sierra SWB almost finished---- 84 Softail Olive Branch MS

03-13-2003, 10:49 PM	#11
Bill72BB Thats the Hillbilly way Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Torrance,Ca Posts: 5,980	Tom; Brought up a good point ,I forgot I had to make a bracket that moved the Throttle cable back about 1 " to get full throttle . __________________ BILL Torrance Calif 90504 Member DUF Club Member Old Farts Club 72 3/4ton Custom Camper BB402/400 trans Dynomax Cerama-coat headers , Hei distributor ,Edelbrock 1411 air,ps,pb,leafsprings ,98 chevy 60/40 seat,S10 shoulder belts tilt,3.54 Dana 60 rear. 16" Eagle wheels with LT265/75 16 tires,Gaylord Lid,H4 headlights with 100W relay conversion. " If I knew I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself " Marriage changes passion...suddenly you're in bed with a relative. A GUY'S PRAYER.... Lord, I pray for a nympho with huge boobs who owns a liquor store and likes to fish and hunt and has a Harley .Amen ,



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