best 4 barrel carb for reliability???

my true p***ion lies in metal work, fabrication and paint and when it comes to mechanics i get by alright, but when we start talking carburetors you might as well be speaking in tongues.
i know the basics, i guess, but that is it. just the basics.

that said i'm looking for a 4 barrel carb to go on a .030 over 350 Chevy my dad and I put together. it has factory Camel Back heads with 2.02 intakes and a gasket match port job. i'm also running the Edelbrock Performer RPM cam and intake combo (intake gasket match ported as well).
when i first started tinkering with cars i did'nt have much luck with Holley carbs. maybe it was just bad luck but every one i ever had leaked fuel from the throttle shaft, and subsequently ****ed air in from that gap as well.
i had, however, had pretty good luck with the couple of Carter AFB/Edelbrock carbs i had experience with in those days. fast forward to recent times and the AFB carb on the truck this motor will be going in is leaking fuel from the throttle shaft just like those old Holleys i had as a teenager.
the original carb in this truck was a Q-jet that had issues when i got the vehicle and thus is why i swapped on this slightly used 600cfm (or was it 650???) Carter that i had traded another HAMBer a slightly used 750cfm Carter for.
it actually worked pretty well for the first 3000 miles or so and then started acting up, especially when warm. i eventually noticed the fuel leaking from the throttle shaft AFTER i had performed a basic rebuild. the rebuild did'nt affect the operation of the carb one way or the other.

anyways, i'm tempted to try and source a NEW Q-jet just so i can hook the factory cruise control back up easier but what is truly important is reliability. i want something i can bolt on, set up and not have to mess with for the next 60,000-100,000 miles.
i also want a bit of performance out of this thing. it's main purpose will be semi-daily driving and occasional towing but i'd like to be able to light up those fat tires now and then as well. i really want this motor to live up to it's potential.

so i ask those of you who REALLY know your stuff when it comes to carburetors, what would you suggest?

 

My suggestion

http://store.summitracing.com/egnse...6+4294906186+115+4294902720&Ntk=KeywordSearch

 

EDELBROCK PERFORMER SERIES 600 CFM, ELECTRIC CHOKE CARBURETORS
Designed for small-block and small displacement big-block engines, these carbs are recommended only for stock to Performer level applications. They are not recommended for use on RPM or Torker II intake manifolds. Match with an Edelbrock Performer or Performer EPS manifold and other brands of similar design. Calibrated 2% leaner than #1405. Includes both timed and full vacuum ports for ignition advance. Comes with: Metering Jets – Primary .098, Secondary .095; Metering Rods – .075 x .047; Step-Up Spring – yellow (4" Hg). Use our Carb Stud Kits #8008 or #8024 if needed

I HAVE USED THESE ON ALL MY RIDES ....

 

No question...Edelbrock 600.

 

That's all I've used since my last new Holley in 1991, that i gave away and got an Edelbrock..........used them on every car since. I know the one on my truck has been on that engine for 80,000 miles so far, and no problems.

 

I had a 350 with camel hump heads and the performer RPM intake, cam and lifters, with 1.6 roller tip rockers. I ran a 780 dual feed with vacuum secondarys at first but didn't work out very well. Switched to a 650 double pumper due to the lack of vacuum from the large cam. It ran really well with that carb. Just my 2 cents!

 

I used Holley 4150-4160 carbs for years with no issues at all.Recently on a SBC engine I tried an Edelbrock 1406 (600cfm).It certainly works well enough but they don't tolerate fuel pressure over about 5-6 psi without flooding or running rich at low speeds. A fuel pressure regulator did the trick of course but added more plumbing under the hood..I checked several SBC fuel pumps and all were about 7 psi at idle.Ya would think Edelbrock would design the carb to handle typical fuel pressure in the first place.
This was my experience ,yours may be different.......

 

I agree with the Edlebrock - I have used many and always had good luck. BUT if you are not experienced with Carbs, buy a NEW one, not someone elses 'slightly used' one. Buy it, take it out of the box and install as it comes and run it. should work very well.

 

I have an Edelbrock 500 on a stock 265 for 16 years now, and a 750 on a built radical 302 . 750 was more than needed for around town but great when you punch it, as is the 600. They have worked well for me.

 

I've had really good results with the Holley Street and Truck Avenger series carbs. Every single one I've used worked right out of the box with no or very minimal tuning.

Had the same problem as Truckup, with fuel pressure on the Edelbrocks, the holleys seem to operate better on a wider fuel pressure band.

But in the end both the Holley and Edelbrock are good carbs.

 

Edelbrock 600 is the least finicky but they **** for performance, I have had probably six of them on different vehicles in different configurations.

I like my Holley Street Avenger. The throttle response is awesome.

 

Pick one, designed for the cfm expected, blind to the name. With correct pressure, clean gas, and properly adjusted they all work good. Most people that had a bad experience and blame the carburetor won't say that of course.

 

I've got a bunch of Holleys that I've been using for years. All fitted with manual chokes. I just slap a kit into one when I want to use it and they have yet to fail me. I even have a nice 2bbl with an adapter to go in place of a GM Rochester.

So for me, Holley is my weapon of choice.

Bob

 

I've had good luck with Edelbrocks on the street. Ran Demons on two late models, and loved them, so I decided to try a road Demon on my Suburban. Not sure I'll ever go back to the Edelbrocks. Barry Grant knows his stuff....

I'm not a fan of Holleys for the street in any of their guises. They just don't hold a tune for that long, and are prone to the type of leakages you discuss.

 

I've had both Holley and Edelbrock and have both in cars now...but when push comes to shove I pick Edelbrock...my Riviera's carb is acting up so it's time to slap in a new Edelbrock and call it good

 

I have been tossing this question around alot lately, my .030 over 390 in my edsel needs a new carb... been looking at the demon carbs alot. this is a 9.5 to 1, 396 CI FE, with a comp Cams 268H cam, and valvetrain.

Barry Grant reccomended their Speed Demon 750 with annular boosters., but i wanna know why the 725 Road demon wont work just as well.

ive thought ab out edelbrock alot also, but have heard so much good AND bad about them, i just dont know.

i dont know much about carbs, and i want something i wont have to **** with a ton, or at least something that is easy to mess with

 

HOLY ****! did you see the price on that thing??? if it were half as much i might actually buy it but i'd still think it was a bit over priced.

wonder why they say "They are not recommended for use on RPM or Torker II intake manifolds."

 

cuz they want you to go to their Thunder series carbs probably.

Mike,

You ask 10 people and you'll likely get a 50/50 split between Holley and Edelbrock.

My advice is if you have a good buddy who is a tinkerer... ask him what he uses and if he'll help you set it up. Then go with his recommendation.

Sure I could tell you to use the Edelbrock... or the Holley... but what good would that do?

For the record I put double pumper styled carbs on all my stuff because they work and I know how to tune them. A bit.

 

I've always had good luck with Holleys. buy a new one and it'll last for years.

A buddy has been running an Edelbrock on his truck.....and that truck never let us down in the 7 years it was used as a workhorse by anybody that needed it. Well, until the frame rusted through, that is.

We never could get his Demon tuned to run right.............so I loaned him my "good" Holley..........the one I had run on 4 different cars over the years. The Holley has done quite well.

Like 29Nash said, buy a new one and forget about it.

BTW, who is making affordable NEW Quadrajets?

They also sell a remanned version for $359.

Tim D.

 

You can buy remanufactured-modified Q-jets by Jet,get them from Summit,about 360 bucks.Supposedly these Q-Jets have all the bad points ironed out and are calibrated for performance use.

 

im soon to find out, but ive been told an edelbrock 1406 is the best for what i want wihch is a cruiser...

that being said, i have a 1406, an edelbrock intake, edelbrock valve covers, and a stellings style 4bbl air cleaner from Vaphead waiting to go on my 289 in my galaxie...

im just hopin for a lil better response than stock, and roughly the same MPGs when cruisin...

now i just need to decide on petronix or to use this dual point disto i have sittin around...

 

Warehouse Edelbrock Performer EPS aluminum intake
Holley 600 4-barrel HEI ignition on a 350

runs smooth as a baby's ****

 

If the question is reliability, then there are 3 winners:

(A) Stromberg type 4A
(B) Carter WCFB
(C) Rochester 4-G

All of these carburetors are somewhat dated in a technical sense, but all are virtually bulletproof.........hundreds of thousands of trouble-free miles if you change the filters.

Technically, the Carter AFB (originals only, NOT the clones), Carter TQ, Rochester Q-Jet, and if you don't care about fuel economy....end bowl Holleys are all somewhat superior. The later AFB clones (about 1985 and up) take a step backwards in both reliability and performance when compared to the originals.

My opinion, from 45 plus years working with/on them. Others will have differing opinions.

Jon.

 

That is a good questionI have a Carter Compe***ion Series 9635S 625 CFM on my SBF 302 on an RPM Intake and it runs strong! The Edelbrock 1406 and the Carter 9635S use the exact same jets and metering rods(PS: I have a Edelbrock 1406 listed in cl***ifieds)

 

I personally love the Q-Jet carburetor. They are easy to work on and despite what most people think about them, they are easy to make a good reliable, streetable, high performance carburetor out of. I guess I'm biased though because I grew up rebuilding them and could tare one down and put it back together in my sleep. I probably should use one of the Edelbrock's I've picked up recently but I have a bench full of Q-jets and old habits die hard. Just don't over look a good, well tuned, rebuilt Quadra-Jet. And I don't mean the $700+ one

 

with you.On good advice,I took off a perfectly workjng Q-Jet.to replace with a Holley and it was a major mistake!It was on a Vette.it ran no quicker,gas mileage was at best about the same,but the Q-Jet had a better feel when you floored it!!I.m a Q=Jet fan

 

Q-jets and Holleys are good carbs. My brother in law is my carb guru, and he can tune them really well. But I have to say that for ease of setup it's hard to beat the Edelbrock 600. Just be aware that there is a difference between the manual choke and the electric choke. The electric chokes are set up for "economy" and the manual chokes are set for "performance"... I have the manual choke and the only difference that I think there might be is that the manual choke uses more gas, that's it...your results may vary.

 

Reliability is paramount for me,being a Quadraplegic,as I can't mess with stuff if it goes wrong!So we put a new one of these on my '69 351w 2 years ago,starts first time EVERY time,never had to adjust it,runs plenty good enough to beat most things off the line on the street in a '54 Panel truck!
Paul

 

Another vote here for a new manual choke 600 Edelbrock. I put one on a mildly hotrodded SB Ford about five years ago--it's been excellent, reliable, exactly what you said you wanted. I opened the box, bolted it to a Performer and started driving. Switched to an RPM and kept driving. Still driving. I have a Road Demon in the box for my next project and I expect it'll work fine. But if I were going back to the well today, I'd go Edelbrock again.

 

Summit has their own line too. I replaced the tired 6619 Holley on my '76 Monte Carlo with one of the Summit Q-Jets. I Loved it! bolted it on, tweaked the idle mixture a little and then left it alone. Hated to let it go with the car.

I have an Edelbrock 500 on my '55 Stude, went with then Edelbrock because it's basically a Carter AFB, just wish you could get them with the gold coloring like the old AFB instead of the polished finish. I'm happy with the Edelbrock too.