Street carburetor

WVRigrat05

Wound for sound
Jan 1, 2011
3,081
4
38
36
French Creek, West Virginia
Been sporting my old 86' that my father in law now has, needless to say my old built 350 HO needs a little love.

It has an edelbrock 650 on it and it's a turd, can't even hear the 4bbl.

I've been out of the gasser gig for a looong time, so what's a decent carb over 700 cfm that's decently priced and doesn't need adjusted every other day?
 

zakkb787

<that’s not me...
Sep 29, 2014
2,340
52
48
Granite Falls NC
Me and my dad always use Holley carbs. 4150s seem to be the best. Thought the summit branded carbs have really caught my eye. Never cared for edelbrock or Carter. Too much dusting and crap to deal with.
 

TheBac

Why do I keep doing this?
Staff member
Apr 19, 2008
15,318
1,605
113
Mid Michigan
Ive got an old Holley 750DP on the shelf. Hasnt been on an engine since 1991.

To me, the big thing now are the fuel injection setups.
 

zakkb787

<that’s not me...
Sep 29, 2014
2,340
52
48
Granite Falls NC
Ive got an old Holley 750DP on the shelf. Hasnt been on an engine since 1991.

To me, the big thing now are the fuel injection setups.

Ohhhhh double pullers. I drool over those. One feeds dads 440 quite healthily. Right on to the next gas station:roflmao:
 

WVRigrat05

Wound for sound
Jan 1, 2011
3,081
4
38
36
French Creek, West Virginia
Tom if this was still my truck it'd be a lot different. But I just wanted to put a better carb on it and clean it up a little while he's healing, I don't want to put much in it as I know his boy will be out beating the **** out of it when he makes it back out to society.
 

DAVe3283

Heavy & Slow
Sep 3, 2009
3,681
236
63
Boise, ID, USA
I've been out of the gasser gig for a looong time, so what's a decent carb over 700 cfm that's decently priced and doesn't need adjusted every other day?
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:


But seriously, if you want it to start every morning, get something like the FiTech. $800-900 depending on the HP range you need, bolts up like a carb, has all the benefits of a fuel injection setup.

I haven't owned a carbureated vehicle (except motorcycles) in 10 years, ever since I tuned my first fuel injected vehicle and realized the extra cost was more than worth it in reliability and consistency.
 

WVRigrat05

Wound for sound
Jan 1, 2011
3,081
4
38
36
French Creek, West Virginia
Me and my dad always use Holley carbs. 4150s seem to be the best. Thought the summit branded carbs have really caught my eye. Never cared for edelbrock or Carter. Too much dusting and crap to deal with.

I was always told holleys needed adjusted a lot on a DD, all my buddy's ran them on their race cars and beaters and said not to run them. I was going to slap a demon on it when I had it but rebuilt the old 750 quadrajet on it, that thing made that 350 sing, but it ended up with a vacuum leak and instead of them tracking it down they just put an edeljunk on it.
 

WVRigrat05

Wound for sound
Jan 1, 2011
3,081
4
38
36
French Creek, West Virginia
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:


But seriously, if you want it to start every morning, get something like the FiTech. $800-900 depending on the HP range you need, bolts up like a carb, has all the benefits of a fuel injection setup.

I haven't owned a carbureated vehicle (except motorcycles) in 10 years, ever since I tuned my first fuel injected vehicle and realized the extra cost was more than worth it in reliability and consistency.

This thing starts first hit every time even after sitting for weeks with this edelbrock, swear I've never seen anything like it. Just wish it pulled as good as it started.
 

zakkb787

<that’s not me...
Sep 29, 2014
2,340
52
48
Granite Falls NC
Ahh so I see. Well my dad and grandpa both have been mechanics for years and have always told me that nothing runs as good as a quadrajet on a chevy. Personally was never a fan but experience trumps opinions I guess! I always have had a mopar to mess with so not much experience with GM carbs. But one thing I do know is I have a deep seated hatred for Carter/Edelcraps.
 

DAVe3283

Heavy & Slow
Sep 3, 2009
3,681
236
63
Boise, ID, USA
This thing starts first hit every time even after sitting for weeks with this edelbrock, swear I've never seen anything like it. Just wish it pulled as good as it started.
I've never had that kind of luck with V8s, but on motorcycles, it seems the hotter you tune them, the more daily fiddling you need. You put a small-ish carb with forgiving jetting, and the bike will always run (like ass). Put a big carb, aggressive needle taper, really dial the jetting, and the bike will pull like mad, but won't restart if you stall it or if the outside temperature changes.

Logically, it should be possible to buy/build/design a carb that runs 95% as well as fuel injection, but I have never met one in real life. In terms of starting every day and running OK, the best luck I had was with Edelbrock, or most quadrajet setups. The quadrajets were a bit pickier to get setup, but would be the most consistent day to day.

Edit: you really want a setup that makes decent power with no fiddling? Do a propane mixer "carb". One screw adjusts the mixture across the whole throttle range, and propane is the equivalent of like a billion octane race gas, so just go nuts with the timing. Fuel mileage will suck, and good luck finding filling stations, but a propane setup will sit for literally years and fire on the first crank.
 
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WVRigrat05

Wound for sound
Jan 1, 2011
3,081
4
38
36
French Creek, West Virginia
Ahh so I see. Well my dad and grandpa both have been mechanics for years and have always told me that nothing runs as good as a quadrajet on a chevy. Personally was never a fan but experience trumps opinions I guess! I always have had a mopar to mess with so not much experience with GM carbs. But one thing I do know is I have a deep seated hatred for Carter/Edelcraps.

Lol, I don't care for this edelbrock, it starts better than EFI, it doesn't load up but my shop vac pulls more air than this thing.

I may try a Holley just for shits and giggles, if I don't like it I'll trade it for another Qjet.

Really wanting to try a Demon but I don't know anyone that's ran one on a street motor, couple of my buddies run the 1000+ CFMs on their drag cars but that's all I've seen them on.
 

zakkb787

<that’s not me...
Sep 29, 2014
2,340
52
48
Granite Falls NC
Lol, I don't care for this edelbrock, it starts better than EFI, it doesn't load up but my shop vac pulls more air than this thing.

I may try a Holley just for shits and giggles, if I don't like it I'll trade it for another Qjet.

Really wanting to try a Demon but I don't know anyone that's ran one on a street motor, couple of my buddies run the 1000+ CFMs on their drag cars but that's all I've seen them on.
I ran a few 4160s on my satellite. They were alright but could tell they weren't as good as the 4150s. Dads double pumper on his d100 really never needs adjusting but he rarely drives it. As far as demon I've never seen the on a street car either.
 

WVRigrat05

Wound for sound
Jan 1, 2011
3,081
4
38
36
French Creek, West Virginia
I've never had that kind of luck with V8s, but on motorcycles, it seems the hotter you tune them, the more daily fiddling you need. You put a small-ish carb with forgiving jetting, and the bike will always run (like ass). Put a big carb, aggressive needle taper, really dial the jetting, and the bike will pull like mad, but won't restart if you stall it or if the outside temperature changes.

Logically, it should be possible to buy/build/design a carb that runs 95% as well as fuel injection, but I have never met one in real life. In terms of starting every day and running OK, the best luck I had was with Edelbrock, or most quadrajet setups. The quadrajets were a bit pickier to get setup, but would be the most consistent day to day.

Edit: you really want a setup that makes decent power with no fiddling? Do a propane mixer "carb". One screw adjusts the mixture across the whole throttle range, and propane is the equivalent of like a billion octane race gas, so just go nuts with the timing. Fuel mileage will suck, and good luck finding filling stations, but a propane setup will sit for literally years and fire on the first crank.

I know they will need fiddling from time to time, but I've seen some you literally had to crank on the screws every time the humidity changed or the temp raised 10 degrees.
The Qjet that was originally on this motor that came off the trucks original motor was a diamond in the rough, pulled like hell and never needed touched. It did start hard below 20 and would occasionally try and load up when it was 90 out and idling a lot.
 

TheBac

Why do I keep doing this?
Staff member
Apr 19, 2008
15,318
1,605
113
Mid Michigan
A Q-jet will probably run the best for what you want to do. Time to hit the 'yards, find one in decent shape and rebuild her. I've got a few of those on the shelf, too. :roflmao: Even have one of the old 400 Pontiac big-vent Q-jets. That thing ran great on my 455 Olds.

The speed shop I've gone to for decades here in town (Johnsons) has a huge selection of old NOS Q-jets, too. Its just a matter of figuring out which carb number you had and then matching it up.
 

wilrob

Back in the Motherland
Sep 14, 2016
366
0
16
Dallas, TX
I've had all 3 (Q-jet, Holley, Edelbrock) on my old 350. If you are good with carb tuning Holley all the way, edlebrock was lowest maintenance though.
 

WVRigrat05

Wound for sound
Jan 1, 2011
3,081
4
38
36
French Creek, West Virginia
What's the spec's of the motor and trans?

Motor was a GM crate motor, I bought it with 14k miles on it off a friend and spun the rod bearings the first 20 minutes I had it running.

So it was tore down and everything but the pistons and valve springs was replaced. Dish pistons, 70cc heads, 9.5:1 comp, comp cams extreme 4x4 cam, I forget the specs, trans was a built turbo 400, has a 5 speed in it now.
 

A. Stock Lbz

New member
Aug 13, 2013
342
0
0
spokane wa
Motor was a GM crate motor, I bought it with 14k miles on it off a friend and spun the rod bearings the first 20 minutes I had it running.

So it was tore down and everything but the pistons and valve springs was replaced. Dish pistons, 70cc heads, 9.5:1 comp, comp cams extreme 4x4 cam, I forget the specs, trans was a built turbo 400, has a 5 speed in it now.

No need for 700+ cfm on that engine. Holley 650 dp or a vac. secondary will work great, stay away from demon carbs all together, they had lots of qc problems, hit and miss with those.
 

Chevy1925

don't know sh!t about IFS
Staff member
Oct 21, 2009
21,170
4,953
113
Phoenix Az
No need for 700+ cfm on that engine. Holley 650 dp or a vac. secondary will work great, stay away from demon carbs all together, they had lots of qc problems, hit and miss with those.

i was just gunna say, 700+ is alot of carb for that engine.

id go find you a TBI set up off a 454, flash a chip, and drive the sucker. way cheaper, super easy to make the wiring stand alone, and all the benifits of EFI but with plenty of flow.
 

WVRigrat05

Wound for sound
Jan 1, 2011
3,081
4
38
36
French Creek, West Virginia
i was just gunna say, 700+ is alot of carb for that engine.

id go find you a TBI set up off a 454, flash a chip, and drive the sucker. way cheaper, super easy to make the wiring stand alone, and all the benifits of EFI but with plenty of flow.

I was at my father in laws and looked at my old receipts. The motor is a Gen 1 block, 350ci 350 hp, 64 cc heads, dish pistons 10:1 comp, full roller lifters, rockers, cam etc, had a 390 385 lift cam,was a long block from GM. The cam I put in is half that (Xtreme 4x4) and has an edelbrock mid rise intake. I found a place in NC that has old GM stuff they rebuild and tune on site, gonna go with a 700 cfm Qjet and stick on it.