Carb Questions

**blackout5.3** · 04-26-2009, 07:00 PM

i am finially finishing up my 383 stroker project for my trans am, im down to carb. choosing, i been told holley, ive been told edelbrock, and also been told bout summits new street cab also, i dont want a lot of maintaince to deal with on a carb. i just want a good rounded one without a lot of maintaince

**TA98** · 04-27-2009, 05:07 PM

Im pretty sure the Summit Carb is made by Holley. All Summit brand parts are made by other companies. Summit just put there sticker on it. My friend called about his injectors and they told him they were made by Jet. I have a holley on my 65 mustang and love it. Its incredibly easy to adjust and ive never had a problem with it. Plus you can modify a holley to no end. Metering blocks, main bodies, etc... I dont know much about edelbrock carbs, I dont know anyone that uses one. Im sure they are pretty good considering the name, but I have no experience.

**blackout5.3** · 04-27-2009, 06:03 PM

i knew bigger names private labeled for summit, i ordered their store brand headers for my truck and they came in hooker headers, but i had no idea wich company did the carb for them or if they might just jumped off into it theirself for once

**67rsss** · 04-27-2009, 07:06 PM

Honestly, I wouldn't have started with either brand. You didn't mention which carbs from either, nor enough info about the engine, trans and application to help. What intake you running? For ease of use, the AFB setup that Edelbrock builds is as simple as it gets. They run well, and parts are easy to get. The AVS version costs more, but is a better design on the secondary side. Some Holley carbs are better than others, what are you looking at? If you are looking in the $250-$400 range, the Edelbrock will be hard to beat.

**blackout5.3** · 04-27-2009, 07:34 PM

well the lower end is a 383 stroker jegs crate motor
lunati voodoo cam 262/ 268, Lift .468/ .489
apr 72cc heads
edelbrock victor jr intake
tci 700 r4 street fighter stage 2, hughes 2500 stall converter

im not really swetting the price.
im lookin for the car to be a a serious cruiser more than a stoplight to stoplight machine, Buuuuuuut im not saying im not going to do it LOL

**67rsss** · 04-28-2009, 06:43 AM

I think I would have gone with an RPM air gap instead of a vic jr. You should be fine with the Thunder series from Edelbrock, it is a freshened Carter AVS, and easy to tune. You will get a lot of recomendations.

**TA98** · 04-28-2009, 07:14 AM

Originally Posted by 67rsss

I think I would have gone with an RPM air gap instead of a vic jr. You should be fine with the Thunder series from Edelbrock, it is a freshened Carter AVS, and easy to tune. You will get a lot of recomendations.

I agree. The Victor Jr. is a single plane intake and your cam really isnt big enough to make use of it.

**blackout5.3** · 04-28-2009, 04:32 PM

groovy, so what cfm? 650, 750?
i appriciate all teh help with the carburation advice, i can do any sorts of body work, and some major motor work but fuel + air + cam specs is nothing but algebra to me LOL

**TA98** · 04-29-2009, 03:59 AM

750 should be enough. but you could always go with an 850 and down jet it incase you ever wanna put spray on it

**JoshieDoom** · 04-29-2009, 05:22 AM

I voted Edelbrock because recently Ive had a bunch of problems with holley carbs. They leak like none other around the bowl gaskets. They are made locally and everytime I call them to express this issue they treat me like dogshit.

**blackout5.3** · 04-29-2009, 01:54 PM

i found a 750 for like 169 on ebay and got it last night, the one holly i had always leaked that ive had forever, so i agree with JD on that one, thanks for the help guys hope to have this thing stabbed in a few weeks, finially after 3 years its starting to come together

**Dr.Crash** · 04-29-2009, 02:46 PM

from what i understand. the holleys are alot of maintainence

**blackout5.3** · 04-29-2009, 04:47 PM

from what i gather they are for the race enthusiest who does nothing but eat sleep race, not for a average joe like me who wants some practicality out of a classic muscle car

**67rsss** · 04-30-2009, 10:14 AM

Depends, Holley carbs can be a lot of work, but most of them can be made to run well. The downside to most Holley carbs is the guy messing with it. The upside is massive parts availability, and they are very easy to modify for various applications. Once you get past mild performance, they are pretty affordable and easy enough to tune. The Demon carbs and others like it are also good replacements. I personally recomend a quadrajet for most street applications, though it is getting harder to use them as the parts dry up. The spreadbore design is very reliable, and thrifty on the fuel. The Carter designs (AFB and AVS) are VERY easy to tune, and I have started recomending them for a lot of street applications. Edelbrock will sell them to you new, tuning parts are easy to get, and main metering adjustments are super easy. You do really need to keep the carb clean, as it doesn't take much to stick a main power piston in the bore.

As for race only apps, recall that Holley was OEM on many engines...

**Firebirdjones** · 04-30-2009, 11:35 AM

I have made a good part of my living tuning/building carbs for people.

I will say that right off the bat the Holley is my favorite to work with. Parts are easy to find at most parts chains, they are easily modified and adapted to any engine, simply drilling squirters, idle feed resitrictors and power valve feeds make it simple to tune without having to buy extra parts. It was oem equipment for most of GM and fords high end classic muscle cars, easy to find spare (parts) carbs at just about any swap meet for extra bowls, baseplates, metering blocks etc...Aftermarket support is immense, with billet parts like metering blocks and baseplates, very nice main bodies on the market etc... you can piece together a nice holley for half the price of an HP unit if you know what you are doing. I find them very dependable for daily use on my cars.

I stear clear of the Demon carbs,,,a copy of the holley design but virtually nothing interchanges, they take different bowl and meter block gaskets that no one seems to stock. Pain in the ass to have to order parts and wait.

With that said,,,my next favorite is the quadrajet. I run this carb on my formula and after competing in factory stock drags for a number of years, I really got to know my way around modifying it. Takes special length drill bits to reach the idle feed restrictors, and taking the top off all the time for jet changes is somewhat of a pain. It's a little quirky to work on, the top gasket used to be unavailable by itself, so if tuning alot you had to by an entire carb kit just for the air horn gasket. But when dialed in it's an excellent carb.

Edelbrocks carb is a nice design that mimics the old AFB. Alot of people use them. I have tuned a few for people but if I had a gripe at all it's the lack of availability of parts locally. Any time you need metering rods and/or hangers you have to order and wait. Not something I like to do.
If you decide to run this carb I would also order an arsenal of tuning parts for it while you are on the phone,,,,gaskets, rods, hangers, jets, etc....to have on hand if the need arrises.

I don't care for the new design street carb that looks like a holley,,,but has a removable top instead of the standard removable float bowl design.
Again you are running into a special made gasket for the air horn that unless they offer seperately, you are going to have to buy an entire kit just for a gasket. If taken apart several times eventually the gasket will tear. The lower section is of a one piece design that is "supposed" to eliminate fuel leaks.
Honestly I don't have problems with fuel leaks on the old design of holleys and just prefer to stick with what I know works, with a vast supply of parts.

Everyone has their favorite,,,and alot of that is based on what they know how to work on. Alot of various carbs get a bad rap mainly from the people that don't know how to work on them. As I said I favor the old standard holley, simply because it's been around since the early muscle car days and just has the advantage of a very large aftermarket support.
In the end it's up to you. With a very mild cam that you are running just about any carb will fit the bill and be extremely easy to dial in. I also think the motor would be much happier with an RPM airgap intake rather than the Victor Jr.

**blackout5.3** · 04-30-2009, 04:08 PM

after i looked im going to have to go back and see wich intake it is, i think it is a airgap intake come to think of it, i sent it to my cousins house to install the cam and upper end and i was going to go retrieve it when i have the subframe back under it and stab it, tranny and subframe at once

**67rsss** · 04-30-2009, 04:47 PM

You will be a LOT happier with a dual plane intake.

**Street Fighter** · 05-05-2009, 04:12 AM

I Have two cars and a truck that I run Holleys on and they have always done well for me.They are easy to repair and the parts are in most stores so you can put it back together fast.I agree that the main problem I find is that people come to me after trying to work on this carb and don't know anything about a carb, any carb will be a pain if you don't know how to work on it.I have always run holleys and have come to be good at repairing them, easy to do. Choose what you want, but learn to repair it yourself. Holleys have very few parts and you can find and old one just about anywhere to learn on.Air gap intake and a 750 is the way to go, I have that setup on my truck my 77 camaro and my 73 dodge charger. It's you choice which carb, But for me it will always be HOLLEY.