Best Street Carb?

[THE "10" SILVERADO]

Now that I figured out that my engine is a 350 I'm willing to put some money into some upgrades.

Right now it has a 2-barrel carburetor and I want to get a new air intake w/ new carburetor. I'm just going to be using my truck for daily driving but I'd like to get more power out of it. I'm thinking an Edelbrock aluminum intake but I don't know what carburetor would be best.

Holly?
Demon?
Edelbrock?

Thanks

[Goldfinger]

I've heard all good about edelbrock. unless you have a 700r4 then it can be confusing.

[irishman999]

I have been running a Non EGR Edelbrock eps square bore, Mr. gasket phenolic carb spacer and a Carter AFB (same as an eddy 1406). You have to change a few things like the throttle linkage and air cleaner but so far its been a good setup. I get decent mileage with a light foot.

[bbbc10]

edelbrock sucks!!! go wth holley!!

[cr34t3d_by_d4rkd3n]

Originally Posted by bbbc10

edelbrock sucks!!! go wth holley!!

yupppp every edel has come lean. ull want like a 660 or whateverboddbnumber it is.. thay have the 570 and the 660 i believe then the 750 . ur truck will like the 600 even tho equipt is a 750 quadrabog. get thebholley advenger. auto choke everything.

[C-10 simplex]

What kind of 2bbl does it have now and what rpm range are you looking to operate at?


i'll put it on the table: i like the rochester 2G because it's simple to understand, fairly easy and quick to tune and get running and it works GOOD. There, i said it.

i think with the right manifold and tuning it could give many 4bbls a run for the money.

i'll let the insults fly in now.

[cr34t3d_by_d4rkd3n]

Originally Posted by C-10 simplex

What kind of 2bbl does it have now and what rpm range are you looking to operate at?


i'll put it on the table: i like the rochester 2G because it's simple to understand, fairly easy and quick to tune and get running and it works GOOD. There, i said it.

i think with the right manifold and tuning it could give many 4bbls a run for the money.

i'll let the insults fly in now.

nawww quadrabogs r fine. cant beat the good gas milage of a small primary and massive seconds. now 2 barrels... no thank you lol. now a 6 pack...oooohhhhhhh

[Reziel_1983]

I just bought a holley street avenger 670 cfm to replace my quadrajet, I like it so far.

[rayfinseats]

Quadrajet on a performer intake. Hands down for reliability, milage. My edelbrock is flooding now, the idle circuits were plugged twice in the last few months,with 2 new filters. Not crazy about the performance or milage. Edelbrock is easy to tune so is a holley.

[78 Chevyrado]

I get 17MPG on the freeway out of my edelbrock 1406 on my 140K mile 350sb in my 5200lb truck with 3.73 gears and 33.5" tires. its all about the tuning. any of the listed carbs can get you where you need to go. i like and know edelbrocks best so thats likely what will run the best on my truck. edelbrocks are also easier to tune. i like you can change all the metering jets in about 10 minutes, without spilling one drop of gasoline. and the metering rods come out quicker than taking off the air filter. no gaskets below the fuel level so no leaks. I've had a 1406 on fords, chevys and dodges and they all ran great and never quit on me.

I will say that none of the ones I've gotten have ever had the floats set correctly out of the box, but its a 5 minute adjustment so no biggie.

[tucsonjwt]

Professionally rebuilt Qjet by rebuilders mentioned elsewhere on this forum with stock intake. All carbs will work, but I don't like having to modify the throttle linkage and air cleaner to exhaust manifold fittings on the aftermarket carbs. All carbs eventually need rebuilding, even the aftermarket carbs, unless you drive the highway a lot and keep them clean.

[SBTork]

I am looking into an aftermarket carb for my '85 burb. I am thinking maybe a holly street avenger. How compatable are they with stock throttle linkage, and cruise linkage? I know I can get an adapter from bowtieoverdrives for my 700R4, so that's covered. Anything else I should factor into my decision?

[hotrod_991]

I like holley. I was running a eddy 1406 and it would not lean out for anything...changed it out for a used holley quadrajet upgade carb and bam! no more richness and it runs great deff stick with holleys on my end.

[Indyuke]

There's only one carb that performs almost like fuel injection, and so is the best for street application. Unlike a holley or edelbrock, once correctly tuned and set, rarely ever needs to be touched again until it's completely worn out and needs a complete rebuild... once every 10-15 years. It will give you good fuel economy and driveability (unsurpassed cold starting and driveability) while on the other hand it's capable of making huge hp numbers because the smallest size this carb comes in is 750cfm.

It does everything you would want of a carb. This carb gives the motor exactly what it needs, easily and accurately adjusting it's parameters based on engine load, rpm and altitude to maintain the best power to fuel economy balance, and coupled with HEI ignition is the most efficient system for any GM SBC.

Can anyone guess which one I'm talking about?

Sheesh, I sound like a salesman.

[RUSHNBOBO]

Originally Posted by Indyuke

There's only one carb that performs almost like fuel injection, and so is the best for street application. Unlike a holley or edelbrock, once correctly tuned and set, rarely ever needs to be touched again until it's completely worn out and needs a complete rebuild... once every 10-15 years. It will give you good fuel economy and driveability (unsurpassed cold starting and driveability) while on the other hand it's capable of making huge hp numbers because the smallest size this carb comes in is 750cfm.

It does everything you would want of a carb. This carb gives the motor exactly what it needs, easily and accurately adjusting it's parameters based on engine load, rpm and altitude to maintain the best power to fuel economy balance, and coupled with HEI ignition is the most efficient system for any GM SBC.

Can anyone guess which one I'm talking about?

Sheesh, I sound like a salesman.

"quadrajet"......have 2 of them I'll give you......I'm running a BG Speed Demon and I'll never go back to anything else. Billet metering bodies, high quality construction, comparable price to Holley. Marginal fuel mileage, but it's not a daily driver so who cares.

[Your41Plague12]

Originally Posted by RUSHNBOBO

"quadrajet"......have 2 of them I'll give you......I'm running a BG Speed Demon and I'll never go back to anything else. Billet metering bodies, high quality construction, comparable price to Holley. Marginal fuel mileage, but it's not a daily driver so who cares.

If you're giving them away, I'll seriously take one. Been looking to swap back to a Quadrajet with an electric choke forever. To get back on topic, I'm running a Carter AFB right now, and I don't have any problems at all with it. My throttle linkage is messed up though because my throttle cable is for a Quadrajet carb. I don't have the adapters, so my throttle cable is way too long. My gas pedal is almost laying on the floor and my 4 barrels don't want to open the whole way (mechanical secondaries).

[ECU PIRATE]

I have a brand new in the box Edelbrock Performer intake I picked up for $ 45 bucks and a 600 cfm Holley (# 1850-2) I picked up for $ 25 in need of a rebuild. My buddy says scrap the Holley and use the Q jet.........

[hotrod_991]

scrap it all and go EZ EFI that what I am doing LOL but no really I dont know a thing about quadrajet but the holley upgrade seemed to work great for me

[78 Chevyrado]

only thing quadrajets have, tho it's a big plus, is the super tiny primaries. otherwise they're nothing special. thats the sole place their economy comes from, (assuming you dont open the secondaries regularly).

The main reason people dont use q-jets more is the parts to tune them are expensive because they are relatively rare. everyone says to get a holley because thats the most common carb to buy parts for. (im not saying anything bad about q-jets or holleys)

holleys seem to have more fine tuning, and easier, plus parts are common and cheap.
Edelbrocks are more the set it and forget it carb (at least in my experience)
and q-jets are OEM, have small primaries for fuel economy but tuning parts are rare and expensive. also this is a set it and forget it carb (in my experience)

every holley ive ever had, up to about 1998, required constant tinkering. when I've had Q-jets or edelbrocks, once you set it, that was it, it was good for years. i only had to adjust them some for the temp change between 100 degree summers and 10 degree winters. all the holleys i had had to be tinkered with constantly. ( as in at least once a week, when i was already late for work).

[frenchsquared]

I like my Holley Street Avenger.
It does not need to be tinkered with.
My old 4150 has been set the same for two racing seasons.

Originally Posted by 78 Chevyrado

holleys seem to have more fine tuning, and easier, plus parts are common and cheap.
Edelbrocks are more the set it and forget it carb (at least in my experience).

[RUSHNBOBO]

Originally Posted by ECU PIRATE

I have a brand new in the box Edelbrock Performer intake I picked up for $ 45 bucks and a 600 cfm Holley (# 1850-2) I picked up for $ 25 in need of a rebuild. My buddy says scrap the Holley and use the Q jet.........

ask him why?

[irishman999]

I am a q-jet fan running a Carter AFB but I have to mention that rebuilding a Q-jet is a pain in the ass. If its never been rebuilt you cant just throw a kit on it, you have to drill and knock out plugs on the base plate to get to the idle adjustment. The bottoms of the bowls need epoxy or the bowls will leak. There is also a bushing kit for the control rods for the worn out units, if you dont do this you might have a vacuum leak.

The Eddy 1406 is awesome for a first carb to rebuilt and tinker with, everything is simple and self explanatory. You can get the jet kit and really fine tune everything to your application, like mentioned earlier you can change the metering rods with just two little screws being loosened.

So far I am happy with my AFB (same as the eddy 1406). Good mileage and power but will switch back to the Q-jet.

[tucsonjwt]

Actually, the EFI is the best of all, since you will be spending several hundred dollars on a new carb. I have heard people with aftermarket TBI not like it as well as factroy TBI.
My problem with any carb is that I don't drive the truck very much. This causes varnish and crud to form and the carb becomes junk relatively quickly. Considering the price of gas, I don't think I will ever drive the truck enough at relatively high speeds, so I think I can look forward to rebuilds or replacement of carbs every few years. Long term for me, buying an 87 up truck with factory TBI would make more sense, assuming you plan to keep the truck for many years.

[sumran]

Interesting topic. I had intended to put a Quadrajet (have always liked them) on mine, but my parts truck came with a 1405. It will need a rebuild, but the kit is less than $50. A rebuilt QJ would run around $300. If there is a significant difference in performance or economy, I am willing to spend the extra money. However, if they are fairly similar, I don't want to burn $$$. I understand why others prefer Holley, TBI or others, but it is not what I am looking for. I will keep reading along. Thanks for the info.

[camshaftgsxr]

any properly tuned carb... half of the comments in this thread stem from a lack of tuning knowledge causing an engine to run poorly