I've built and run all 3. It's been over 20 years since I last ran a Q-jet, but for a driver economy carb they work fine as long as you keep the secondaries closed. I've done a lot of rebuilding/modifying and adjusting to Holleys in the last 5 years or so. I've become very famaliar with their circuitry and how they work. It's all about keeping them from being overly rich, which they tend to be from the factory. I've found Edelbrocks to be pretty close upon initial install, which is why they have the reputation to bolt on and forget about it. However I haven't been able to get the results I wanted out of making adjustments to them using their kits. Devin
I ran Holly's for years. Now I run edelbrocks except I don't have to tune them every time the weather changes
Another option is this:http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-m08600vs/overview/ Uses Holley parts to tune and several reviews on other sites say they perform well and make for better gas mileage.
I'm an Edelbrock guy. I've had Holleys with flooding issues, and Quadrajets I've had rebuilt that were probably too old and worn out to bother with. I've never had problems with Edelbrocks but I don't race them. Ralph
1st choice - rebuild the Quadrajet 2nd choice - Edelbrock 500 CFM electric choke 3rd choice - Holley 390 CFM Several here trash the Holley spreadbore, but I've got a friend who won't run anything else on his stock street engines. jack vines
The secondaries on a Q-jet are just way too large to allow a 283 to respond properly in a station wagon. If you want good throttle response transition from primary-to-secondary, I would run a 500 cfm Edelbrock on a 250hp 327 intake manifold.
Could be, I was surprised they sent me to a different company so quick. The guy said it was not holding the fuel in the side bowls during cornering so I should go with a Holley. It made sense to me, since I had fought a Holley flooding and killing my Landcrusier when climbing a steep hill in the past (That experience is much worse than a car stumbling in a turn by the way) I am running an AFB (same carb) on our 58 TBird and a 1406 on our 65 TBird, both seem to work just great with very little fuss, but they both don't corner worth a ....... so it still seemed to make sense to me. The only carb I have truly hated was the Demon I tried to run on the olds.
Don'tcha just love that "Chawwwnngg" sound those big old vacuum secondaries make when ya mash down on a quadrajet? Ear candy!
I have become a believer in Edelbrock since running a couple of 600's on a blown small block in my last 32 for years without problems. They did need to be tuned to the blower motor and many told me they would never work but I already had one when I built the motor and got a second in a trade deal so it was the most economical approach. My latest 32 has a tripower setup with Holley's and I have no complaints. I traded the leaking Holley in our 50 Chevy for an Edelbrock and we are happy.
Ran holleys for years, q jets on daily drivers. Bought my father an edelbrock 600 manual choke to replace his 1 year only carter[no kits available] on a 65 impala ss 327 restoration. I really like the edelbrock ran well out of the box. If u r looking at edelbrocks they sell 2 different configrations 1 performance based and one economy based all the parts interchange
When it comes to carbs I like the Carter AFB or Edelbrock on something that actually gets driven, they are a pretty simple design with not much to go wrong. My experience with Holleys are that they like to leak gas all over the place. Keep a fire extinguisher in the car if you run a Holley.
I am running a single 750 on a 471 blower on a 327, it was pretty easy to tune for it, it works great and no boost referencing mods needed.
These things are infinitely tunable. 267 up thru 455 and everything in between from the same carb body. They are complicated because the air fuel curve is so tunable. The amount the secondaries open is variable to suite the cubic inches. Rochester has SO SO SO many part #s for the jets, rods, and lift bridges its sort of mind blowing. There are fast and slow or someplace in between pull offs too. The problem is you need to speak fluent quadrajet to get the carb to do what you want it to do. Parts aren't available so you need to polish thousands off rods, peen and drill holes, make vacuum restrictors, blah blah blah. Easier to cough up 3-400 bucks. Better than a dialed in qjet for your intended purpose - not going to happen
I used to run a factory quadrajet and it was great. Good economy and easy to adjust. The only reason I switched to an Edelbrock was that the quad was just ugly. Holleys take a little time to adjust, but for a race or hi-po application, they can't be beat. IMO.
Coke Paper Fried Right Both Pen Neither Rebuilt many o Q-jets, rebushed a lot of base plates (seemed to be the biggest problem). Met a few people that raced with them and as said before you need to speak Q-jet. Ran Holley's when racing (infinitely tunable). As stated before, one speck of dirt and its oh shit. They do have a tendency to leak. (I once got 17 mpg out of a 71 F100 4 X 4, 390, 4 spd, 33 X 12.50 tires with a 750 spreadbore... I was surprised!) For the street and everyday driving I prefer the Edelbrock. Its easy to tune for the street and most times its good right out of the box. Just my two cents...
I run a 750 Edelbrock on my street driven Thames, and 850 Holley on my 33 Willys drag car, and a factory Q-jet on my 455 Olds powered 49 Ford panel, and I'm happy with them all. I would go with an Edelbrock for the street though.
I have a '57 with a 283, double hump heads, and a ? cam. Started with a used 600 cfm with a performer manifold. Never got it right but thought the Edelbrock Techs were good. Switched to a new manual choke 500 cfm with no problems. I think the original 283 carb is in the 300 range.
anythings better than that "QUADAJUNK" I had one on my c10 it took 15 mins to just get it to indle right, slapped a holley on and runs get
Sounds like you could have slapped a rebuilt Qjet on it too and gotten the same effect...without slappin' an adapter plate on it, and cobbling up the gas line and linkage. LOL
Which is best is a lot like the old Ford / Chevrolet. / Mopar debate. They all have their good and bad it points. For a street driver it is hard to beat a 500 Edelbrock with electric choke.
Carter/Edelbrocks are OK for a street driven car that sees daily use. For everything else, use a Holley. Carters have a number of design deficiencies that Holleys don't. The biggest is the way the jets are positioned at the lowest point in the float bowl - they clog up with gunky gas or other crud if the car sits for long. They plunger type accel pump also is sucky.....you never see a Holley with a bad pump but you often see a Carter with a bad pump. The single fuel inlet is also kinda lame.
Partial to Edelbrock. Had 2 original Carter AFBs that came on my Chevy 409 back in 62. Ran B/G in my 54 Chevy.(photos in my album) Great carb. Modified to have a fuel line to each float chamber, easy rejetting and go.
I've never had problems with a well set up quadrajet. JET specializes in quadrajets, if you aren't into rebuilding yours they probably have one that would work excellent on your application. I've never had an edlebrock but I hear they are great if you just wanna stick a carb on and go without fiddling much. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
Put me down as another satisfied customer for the Edelbrock. Running a 800 CFM model 1413 electric choke (how can anyone not like electric chokes, they're painless) on my OT Olds 455. Starts first crank every time and just goes.............
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