Anyone ever see/have a Holley 3 barrel carb?

This-

 

While the O.E. TQ was first released in 1971, the A/M version (both 850 and 1000 CFM) were released in 1969.

Bowl warpage was not an issue (without help from Dr. Goodpliers).

However, the early production Comp series TQ's had press-in jets which were a mistake. These were corrected after about 3 months with screw-in jets.

The 1972 O.E. carbs also had an issue; that of O-rings in the wells. These worked fine in the test lab, but failed in service. Again, Carter was quick to correct the issue, and the O-rings (in production, and in genuine Carter kits) were replaced with quad X-rings.

Jon.

 

Yup, got two of them. One is a 950 and the other is the 1000. Don't really need a large engine for one either as we used to run the 950 on a 302 chev with weiand tunnel ram on the dirt track. That thing would scream >>>>.

 

According to scuttle**** around here, only parts issue is the diaphragm rubber...all else either fits or is easily cut from 4 barrel kits. I could probably find the book if anyone is desperate.
One of the zillion Holley books on the market covers this...they show an available diapragm that is the right size and how to repot it onto the hardware from the 3150.
Seems like the bog is a design feature...they just cut away half of each venturi, in effect, and hope gas would find some reason to enter the air on its own? Does the door have any shape to it to make a variable rectangular venturi like a Q Jet or is it just a flat oval? I don't have one to look at, and can't tell in the picture.

 

I've worked on a few of them, they're ok but there's a reason they don't make them anymore. And if 750 douplepumpers are the status quo on 7500 rpm circle track 350's, how many folks really need around 1000 cfm?
Larry T

 

John, check with Bottle Bob if you wanna know how it worked on the street. The brown vette originally had a 3 barrel. As I recall, it bogged.

 

The door(****erfly) is just a flat plate, if you look close you can see that they moved the boosters closer to the center of the carb to try to distribute the fuel better. The carb in the picture has had the secondary boosters replaced with straight tubes. They came from the factory with drop leg boosters.

 

I ran 2 of the 950's that were highly tweaked on a tunnel ram in the late 70's on a big block chevy 427 bored 1/8" over. Ran it in a 66 chevelle with a 4 speed. At the drag it would run mid 9's if the trans did not blow.

 

Great memories here----cool thread

 

I ran a va*** secondary 3 barrel on a 395/375 hp nova, 4spd with 4.11s .
worked great as far as I remember, it was many moons ago.

 

I send my vintage and collector car carbs to a cat in Illinois for rebuilding. He has told me that the straight leg tube carb is rare as hell and it's the 1000 cfm and less were made.

 

The ones I worked on had dump tubes, not boosters. I think the saving grace of the carbs is the vacuum secondaries that only open as needed.
Larry T

 

I currently have 3 of these, a 950 and two 1050's..... They work out better if you tune them for your specific engine... they really run good...
usually takes air cleaner mods to get the most out of them,,, and in the case of a nailhead Buick, the ''Doc dual plane '' mod to the intake manifold....

 

My buddy has a few 3 barrel carbs and has fixed the bog problems. some of his 3 barrels are running at the drags today.

 

--------------------------
["The carb in the picture has had the secondary
boosters replaced with straight tubes" ] - Not so. The
950 cfm 3-bbls came with boosters - but the 1050 cfm 3-bbls
all came with just dump tubes and no boosters. In fact that
was the only significant difference between the two sizes,
with absence of the boosters on the secondary side acounting
for the 100 cfm increase in airflow capability of the 1050.

Mart3406
========================================

 

I've got one, a 950 ran it on an L-88 in the late 60's, ran good too.

 

Booooooooooowah!

 

I've had one sitting on the shelf here for over 30 years. Took it off a BBC (Chevelle) that the customer said he couldn't make run right. Replaced it with a 750 DP as that's all I had at the time and sent him on his way smiling.

Frank

 

...still have 3 or 4 of them on a shelf somewhere...

They were the hot ticket in late 60's early 70's. And they made alot of 'noise' when you open the rear door.

.

 

Have had a couple. Your thoughts on its origin are all wrong but it doesnt much matter so we will leave it there. Carter also made a 3 barrel. Pics of it in the Carter carb book but I have never seen one of them in person . I have worked on and with several Holley 3 barrels though. A couple of folks who built my OR engine have used them on it. Last and best i heard from was the guy at Pacific Coast Trans.
They do a pretty good job but are not top of my list as far as response goes. Power though is good with them.
Don

 

a good friend of mine ran one on a pretty hot 401 Javelin..worked great if my memory serves me correctly....he sold the AMC, but still has the carb...

 

ran a 950 on my A from 1971? til 94 on a weiand tunnel ram
327/13.75mondello heads/bm hydrostick/5.86olds summers spool axles
slight bog if didnot use the homemade hidden nitrous..........
Groucho post from 2007
he posted add recently still looking????
pm groucho if you got a cheap one
he has another coupe now???????????????

 

Saw one at the swaps at Charlotte Motor Speedway ages ago.

 

had one i put on a 427 in a 68 el camino 4 speed 3.90 gear
got rid of the bog took a bit
you could p*** anything but a gas station
ran chevron super custom supreme 105
later put it in a 66 vette we trashed so much. i took out the irs and put a 57 olds rearend with 4.88 init . Cal licence Plate # CLM610
later welded in a (hack job) angle iron crossmember to put the irs back in it

 

I could use a cheap one to set on a shelf with my R-4223 850 Center Squirter..

 

It was the best carb you could get at the time for dragracing? so does that translate into the best carb available now, not really.

Yenko.net has several ongoing discussions on these, if you want some indepth info, for late 60's they are period correct,

Worth messing with for a driver - no,
Worth messing with for a period correct late 60's drag car - maybe, if you wanna give up some et compared to newer carbs

 

I'm not sure how many were made, But I have one of those Barry Grant "Gold Claw" carbs that have the interchangable venturies and boosters... It's a cool *** carb and runs great on my 352 ci windsor.

 

I have a couple now,Mopar had a factory 950 3 bbl for the Hemi NASCAR engine.Has the Lemans bowls on them.Will post a pic when I dig it out.I have found 25 HP increase from a factory 780 vac sec holley to the 950 3bbl holley on the dyno on mid 400s ci pontiac engines.Tom

 

Had a 68 goat with 400 and 950 was slow response. Swapped a 780/3310 and it came alive. Both were vacuum secondaries. Years later went to a 455 and it liked the 950. These were both on Edelbrock intakes in the late 60s early 70s. 400 motor had crane h302 cam, stock convertor (probably the real problem) and 3:90s. 455 same combo but more convertor, 3:55s it flew. 12:30s thru the mufflers.

 

Built a 400 stroked to 451 for a 64 belvadere.13.99 to 1,solid lifter with a three barrel.4:88 with a pinion snubber and a rev valvebody 727.So simple it hurt,the guy who raced it did nothing,for seasons with it.if lucky it would get a set of plugs once a season.Ran 10:00 all day.Verry predictable and reliable.