Best Street Carb?

[ECU PIRATE]

I have a brand new in the box Edelbrock Performer intake I picked up for $ 45 bucks and a 600 cfm Holley (# 1850-2) I picked up for $ 25 in need of a rebuild. My buddy says scrap the Holley and use the Q jet.........

[RUSHNBOBO]

Originally Posted by ECU PIRATE

I have a brand new in the box Edelbrock Performer intake I picked up for $ 45 bucks and a 600 cfm Holley (# 1850-2) I picked up for $ 25 in need of a rebuild. My buddy says scrap the Holley and use the Q jet.........

ask him why?

[irishman999]

I am a q-jet fan running a Carter AFB but I have to mention that rebuilding a Q-jet is a pain in the ass. If its never been rebuilt you cant just throw a kit on it, you have to drill and knock out plugs on the base plate to get to the idle adjustment. The bottoms of the bowls need epoxy or the bowls will leak. There is also a bushing kit for the control rods for the worn out units, if you dont do this you might have a vacuum leak.

The Eddy 1406 is awesome for a first carb to rebuilt and tinker with, everything is simple and self explanatory. You can get the jet kit and really fine tune everything to your application, like mentioned earlier you can change the metering rods with just two little screws being loosened.

So far I am happy with my AFB (same as the eddy 1406). Good mileage and power but will switch back to the Q-jet.

[tucsonjwt]

Actually, the EFI is the best of all, since you will be spending several hundred dollars on a new carb. I have heard people with aftermarket TBI not like it as well as factroy TBI.
My problem with any carb is that I don't drive the truck very much. This causes varnish and crud to form and the carb becomes junk relatively quickly. Considering the price of gas, I don't think I will ever drive the truck enough at relatively high speeds, so I think I can look forward to rebuilds or replacement of carbs every few years. Long term for me, buying an 87 up truck with factory TBI would make more sense, assuming you plan to keep the truck for many years.

[sumran]

Interesting topic. I had intended to put a Quadrajet (have always liked them) on mine, but my parts truck came with a 1405. It will need a rebuild, but the kit is less than $50. A rebuilt QJ would run around $300. If there is a significant difference in performance or economy, I am willing to spend the extra money. However, if they are fairly similar, I don't want to burn $$$. I understand why others prefer Holley, TBI or others, but it is not what I am looking for. I will keep reading along. Thanks for the info.