Autolite 4100 or 625/525 Road Demon with Stealth

67stangvert

Founding Member
Aug 15, 2002
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Chicago, Illinois
I am at the point where I have rebuilt the 1966 289 engine in my 67 vert. It currently has a 2v Autolite 2100 rebuilt by Pony Carbs on a stock Ford 289 iron intake.

I bought a 4v iron intake matching the block numbers and head numbers and a matching numbers Autolite 4100. To have the carb rebuilt by Pony Carbs I am looking at $400 plus $100 for cleaning the intake, powedercoating and accessories. This will be about $500 total including shipping and taxes.

I have looked into getting as set of AFR 185s for the 289 to top off with a Weiand Stealth and a 525 or 625cfm Road Demon. The Road Demon and Stealth will be the same amount of money, $500 plus shipping (free through Summit).

My question is which way to go. I feel that the engine's potential will be limited with the stock parts (4100 and iron intake). The aluminum puts me closer to what I want but I know very little about the Demon carbs.

Recs and suggs needed.

Thanks!
 
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since you seem to be oriented towards originality, I'd recomend one of the old factory over-the-counter performance intakes. The C9OX or even the edelbrock F4B(period correct), expect to spend around $200 on e-bay. Top it off with a 4100(480 or 600 cfm). IMO, theres no need to spend $400 to rebuild that carb. You can still get rebuild kits for those things for $20, and they are very simple internally. If you can turn a phillips head screwdriver you should be able to rebuild it yourself. Just be sure to soak it good in a container of carb cleaner, not the spray stuff, but the kind that comes in a gallon container that allows you to dip the whole carb body in it. Let it soak overnight or a few days for that matter, pull it out, blow out the passages with compressed air, and rinse it off. Reassembly will take about 5 minutes, piece of cake.
 
small tangent first: if you think about the total air/fuel mixture path, your potential will be limited by any restrictions. ie, a 4bbl carb and intake needs a dual exhaust also to help it out. You esp do not want to put out BIG $$$ for any new heads without opening the exhaust. You are going to want a new cama s well if you really have a stock 67 cam in there *shudder* :D

That said, I am unclear on your overall purpose. You dont tell us what 'engine potential' you are really looking for. Since it appears to be a convertible cruiser-type, I assume you arent looking for the 'potential' usually found in 1965 GT-350Rs ;)

Are you concerned with a stock appearance? Buying a 4100 and iron intake (cough) tells me you are, esp at those prices, but then you opine on a Demon/Stealth combo which def will not look stock.

Theres nothing wrong with the D/S combo IMO, but for less $$$ and just a bit less performance an E-bok Performer RPM or F4B intake will work well, and can be painted Ford blue to look near-stock. This would be for stock/reworked stock heads.

I would not put on the intake combo and heads without exhaust work, and a shift kit/possibly rear gears if you have a C4, whiich I assume you do. It all has to work together.
 
Even if you can't/don't want to rebuild the carb, I've found much cheaper, and better--IMHO--places to have it done that Pony. I've had Pony do three and each time, the quality has gone down. On my fourth rebuild, I went elsewhere and had it done for $100, including wet testing.

I'd vote the 4100--it moves my 66 GT right along--and you can say that you are completely FoMoCo, especially since you went the route of getting numbers to match.

Just my opinion--your mileage may vary.

--Paul