best carburetor for chevy performance 290 hp 350

[JAM1777]

I have a 1969 Chevy C10 longbed, and i was at the auto store and someone said it sound nice....what do you have in it. ....and I told him it was a chevy performance 290 hp 350 crate. And he looked at the carb and told me it was a 400 four barrel holly and he said that he has had alot of problems with that carb and suggested that i change it to an edelbrock 600........im still learning about my truck but i know the people on this site have been a huge help!! So any advice or suggestions would be appreciated thanks

[leftybass209]

Ok, well obviously he hasn't had success with Holley carbs, but thousands of others have. Listening to the advice of every person who has something to suggest will leave you scratching your head wondering where YOUR truck went because you built what everyone else wanted. If your truck runs and "sounds good" as he said, why change it? Edelbrocks, Holleys, Quadrajets, Demons, and most all other carbs can be adjusted to run just fine if you know how to tune them.

[JAM1777]

Well said........now just for info, would there be another carb that would make the engine run stronger or more efficient or both?

[hamjet]

X2, sounded like he wanted to make a sale....

[WTF?]

If you are happy, leave it be.

[leftybass209]

That engine won't hardly use all of 650cfm, and really doesn't have the RPM range to take advantage of large amounts of fuel and air. Its a low compression motor made to develop torque. Typically Edelbrocks can net you 1-2 mpg's give or take depending on tuning, and Holleys can net you a few more horsepower over an Eddy, at the cost of 1-2 mpg's give or take. There's so many variables like specific carb, tuning, single or dual feed, headers or manifolds, exhaust diameter, altitude, and other things. Sorry the answer is indirect but engines aren't necessarily a bolt on horsepower affair as the aftermarket manufacturers want you to believe.

[El Dorado Jim]

I do not like holley carbs, but like others have said,if it ain't broke,don't fix it.....if it runs good,why replace it...when it goes bad then I would replace it with an Edelbrock,I have had excellent performance with Edelbrocks and have them on a few of my trucks....

[hugger6933]

When the up and comers have called my shop or come by to ask this very question because I used to have quote hotrods back in the day along with race cars and what not and I have made some power back then. I've always said if you want power and are gonna race get a Holley, if you want to ride around on the street get an Eldebrock. Now what was said above about the tuning is also true to both carbs I had a 1050 Dominator that I could run on the street on a big block pat it once start it and walk away and it would idle for the longest time. I have as a general rule had better luck with the Edelbrock on the street as the carb to set and forget if you keep the pressure down below 6 psi and the fuel clean as possible. The part that makes the Holley great the adjustabilty is the part that also makes it hard for some to deal with. Jim

[geezer#99]

Before you go any further get the numbers off the air horn and post them.
You likely have all the carb you need.
BTW they don't make a 400 holley. They make a 390, 450, 465 etc and several more that all look the same.