Customs Holley vs. Edelbrock

Double pumpers are a funny deal.

The work pretty good at the track, but not so good on the street imo.
I know some folks have good luck with them on the street, but the track is where they shine.

What I'm saying here is, don't get carried away with the official hot rod race-o stuff on a street driven car.
Leaning toward the street side of it all makes for a car that's easy to drive, starts right up and is dependable.

My pal runs a 46 Ford sedan with 302 SBF and C4.
The like-new Holley 600 cfm double pumper ran ok, but it got yanked for an Edelbrock 600.
Mileage is up a touch and it seems to run a little smoother.


A few years back little brother ran a 468" Olds in his drag race Henry J, T-400, somewhat large hydraulic cam, Torker intake, good ignition and an 850 double pumper.

The car stumbled off the line fairly often on hot days.

The vac secondary cars didn't have that problem and I always thought a Holley 750 vac secondary carb would have cured the problem.

 

My choice would be an Autolite 4100 set up for a 390. So much easier to tune, and can come real cheap. I got a like new carb on E-pay for 40 bucks. A rebuild kit cost me another 40, and I'm on my way. Real good carbs imo.

 

Sorry, but I work on a lot of different stuff, Ford, Chrysler, GM, AMC, and more. I just can't believe that a competent mechanic, regardless of age, would ever make a statement like that unless he doesn't understand the way a carb actually works and doesn't have the know how to actually tune one. There is no carb under the sun that I've run that can't be used on different brand motors. Hell I'd put a QuadraJet on a Ford in a heart beat...

Yep, I like to be able to drive in traffic and different situations, a little vacuum advance can really improve driveability.

 

Holleys are great for people who are too lazy to actually tune their cars or can't read, because they come fat out of the box for most street engines, and fat is safe. My 302 gets 21 mpg avg and has 340hp. I ran two edelbrocks on an offy dual quad on a 350 and they worked equally well there. I ran one on a 396 and it ran great there. I did have to do some tuning, but the book tells you exactly what to do. Once they were set, I never had to touch them again, unless I changed my combination. They are very picky about fuel pressure though.

My brother runs demons on his blower motors. I've found them to be a high quality carb that hold a tune. And I've gotten tremendous customer service from Barry Grant working on his car. I just like my edelbrocks.

 

Ford even used a Q-jet on one of the Cobra-Jet motors.

I loves my Q-jets, dirt simple and smooth running. I like Webers for tuneability but they cost mucho $$$ and DCOE's and IDF's only seem to like WOT.

Shawn

 

Most people just dont know how to tune a holly , But there the best just my two cent

 

Edelbrock (Carter) every trip of the train.

 

yep, thats what I meant, sorry about the confusion. FNG's

 

The Last part.

 

If you're running a big cam - defined as 270 degrees advertised duration and up - you probably have metering rod springs that are too stiff.

A big cam idles - 600 rpm - at 10"-12" vacuum.

A stock cam idles at 17"-19" vacuum.

Take about 1" from idle vacuum levels for each 1000' of altitude.
As an example my 32's engine idles at 19" at 350' altitude and 16" here in Kingman at 3300' altitude.
On the road readings are normal at most any altitude.

Springs open the rods and vacuum pulls em shut.

With low intake manifold vacuum levels your metering rod springs may be too stiff.

Black springs - they're color coded although the color washes off pretty fast - show up fairly often in older Carters and perhaps Edelbrocks as well.
Blacks are about 10" rated I believe.

Get a package of springs from Summit or Jegs.
About $6.95 + shipping nowadays.

If your cam is mild try the orange ones.
If the cam is a little more radical the pink ones usually work.

Metering rod springs are an easy two screw swap.

When storing used ones, put in a separate pill bottle or baggy and note the color on the outside.
You won't be able to tell which is which once the color washes off.

I you're near sea level or up to 1500' altitude or so the stock jets/rods should work.

Above that and you'll probably want to re-jet.

I'm at 3300' altitude and running two steps lean according to the Edelbrock manual.
The manual is on the web, go to the Edelbrock site and do a little looking for the carb manual.

The engine runs very well down at the river with it's about 500' altitude.

 

They are both carburetors. IE air in atomized with fuel. Holley gives you more tune options. Eldebrock AFB are very basic. Tuning is a set is and go...but you can only get so much.
Holley's street demon is good option. I have ran two. Each time it was ready to run for the application.
HOLLEY are not difficult to tune....Not enough knowledge about the carb makes it difficult to tune.
You can also run a vacuum dia-phram on your dizzy to make your gas mileage go up.
A electric choke when set right will give the same results.

 

Both are both carburetors??

 

I have to disagree, the Edelbrock/AFB is very adjustable, thing is most people don't know how, or won't take the time to figure it out. Hell half the guys on here don't like them if they aren't right when they bolt them on.

 

Holley or find a Carter AFB. No Edelbrock carbs for me...

 

Aside from the Amal type motorcycle carburetor, the Carter/Edelbrock's are the easiest carburetor to learn on.

Simply because they're so easy to access components on and a lot of the tuning can be done from the outside.

If you live at a reasonable altitude, most times a spring change will do it.

A vacuum gauge will help in the tuning as well.
In fact, install one in your car and monitor the engine and road conditions with it.

 

We run Edelbrocks on everything..from 426 wedges to blown small block chevys. Every Holley I have come acrossed was just a pain. I had a built 390 that my engine builder pretty much wanted a holley on it..it flooded out like crazy and this was a new carb..we put an edelbrock on and it has ran perfect ever since..
my father in law had a holley on his smallblock chevy and it stalled out no matter what we did..installed an edelbrock and problem went away. I would not have a holley on anything I own. Just seems that my old man and everyone we know has complained about them for as long as I can remember.

 

AFB is pretty much a Edelbrock...just redone for the average persons ability to tune.

YEAH vfr172pilot they are both carb's. But some people talk like holley's are this an extreme form of fuel injection.
But run what ever you like.

 

I love holleys they can be picked up for 10 bux and a rebuild kit costs 30, and i've never had a problem, ive been running them every day for 8 years never even lost a power valve.

Just make sure to get a REAL holley rebuild kit

 

So... a Holley power valve (on/off switch) provides more tuning options than a tapered metering rod that moves in relation to engine load (infinitely variable). Nearly every dyno test I see reports max HP & Torque at WOT. If WOT performance is all that matters to you, then the holley doesn't have any disadvantage, and running rich can help overcome other problems. If fuel consumption matters, then the holley with power valves is not a good option, the air fuel mixture on a power valve carb can not be smooth in the area where the power valve opens, it will always have an abrupt rich spot where the valve opens.

I am sure that many people don't agree, but if you look at the highest HP/CID carburetor engines ever factory built, they are from Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, for example, their 36 CID engines (600 cc) with carbs all made over 90 HP. NONE have a power valves all of them have CV carbs with a tapered metering rod.

 

I've used both, and would go with the edelbrock. Not the AVS which has a few more bells and whistles, i'd go with the 750cfm, btw the secondaries are mechanical with a vacuum gate, ie positive acting.
Safe to go with electric choke - very easy to adjust, if you need to at all, high speed idle is done from the front without taking the carb off or anything. Only drawback is electric choke makes for tougher plumbing, harder to make look professional but i know you'll figure it out. Good luck, oj