Carburetor for my 351c

[stmcatee]

I have a '72 351 Cleveland in my '73 Mach 1 that was originally a 2v motor but has 4v heads and exhaust, and a 4v Edelbrock Torker intake. It was built by the P.O. and I have no idea what he put into it but I'm fairly sure it has some sort of after-market cam. It's hooked up to a FMX trans. I currently have a Autolite 4300(D? Whichever isn't spread-bore) that I picked up for cheap off of a friend, but it's showing signs of why it was sold to me for so little.
Anyway, I'm looking into either rebuilding (again) and re-jetting this carb, or finding a new one. Does anyone have and tips or suggestions for me? I have a rather tight budget.
Thanks!

 

[woodsnake]

Search your local craigs list for "Holley" and "Edelbrock", in the 650 range...

 

[robbz28]

I don't normally suggest this, but it worked for me twice, so here goes. There are some rebuilders on ebay....normally I wouldnt suggest this, but like I said...got a 600 vac secondary holley for 150 bucks, rebuilt with warranty...works like a charm.

 

[robbz28]

One more thing...if that car is having trouble at low rpm's it's probably because of that single plane intake you got there....might want to try craigslist for a performer intake or something comparable.

 

[stmcatee]

Thanks. Personally I think I would rather stick with a Ford carburetor, from what I know they are can be just as good as Holley or Edelbrock, but not as finicky. The car is going to be my daily driver, so I'm hoping to find something reliable that I don't have to keep tuning all the time. What's your experience with Holley (or Edelbrock) vs. Ford carbs?
I don't think I'm going to be changing the intake at the moment, I'll do that later when I have the money and the rest of the car is done.

 

[stmcatee]

What about this one? It was recommended to me.
Summit Racing SUM-M08750VS - Summit Racing Street & Strip® Carburetors - Overview - SummitRacing.com

 

[robbz28]

Well first off a 4bbl ford autolite is a great carb...if its in good working order. Your best bet is to get that rebuilt by someone who knows what they are doing. But as far as other carbs go...i only have exp with holley, and once you get a holley dialed in then they are no problem whatsoever...just a lot to get tuned properly like jets, floats, pump squirters. But like I said..once you get that dialed in...you usually don't have to mess with it anymore. Another good thing about the holley is all the parts available and its ability to change with your horsepower needs. But that's my 2 cents.

 

[Hack]

I like Holleys and you can go to their website, answer the questions and they will recommend a carb for you. It will run out of the box but if you like to tinker you could get a wideband A/F sensor - that will make it easier to determine if you're rich/lean or whatever else.

One thing I have to say is it isn't clear from your post - is the carb causing problems or are you just looking at it and you don't like what it looks like? Are you sure that your driveability problems are from the carb?

 

[robbz28]

What about this one? It was recommended to me.
Summit Racing SUM-M08750VS - Summit Racing Street & Strip® Carburetors - Overview - SummitRacing.com

Not sure what to think about this carb, but I will make this comment...this carb is nothing but a re-hash of a carb that holley came out with in the late 70's...summit bought the design and put their brand on it. it was a good carb, but the die hard holley guys couldnt get used to it (like new coke) and holley dumped it. its built a lot like a autolite, but with holley features. My only problem with buying that carb is that you can get a holley for about the same price and have waaaaaay more parts available...even at your local autozone.

 

[stmcatee]

Again, thanks for the help. I will look into the Holleys more, it does sound pretty good.
My current carb has a couple of issues. It is running WAY to rich (easy to notice even under light acceleration), but that can be tuned out. Some of the threads are getting stripped, I'm not sure if I have all the proper pieces, etc. I bought the carb second hand and I don't know what the P.O. used it for or did to it. I could get it running well with enough time and effort, but given how many other unknowns I am working with on my engine I think buying a new carb would help eliminate some variables.

 

[robbz28]

One more thing....your intake, if its a squarebore intake then disregard the rest of this...but if its a spreadbore or dual pattern do not, i repeat DO NOT buy a holley spreadbore! They are complete junk. The adapter plates arent great either that adapt spread to square. Being its an edelbrock intake its probably a square bore.

 

[stmcatee]

It's a square bore, but thanks for the advice. I found the installation manual for my intake and it recommends using this carburetor:
#9913 Edelbrock Reconditioned #1411 Performer Series Carburetor 750 cfm, Electric Choke
I think I'll check the local parts stores and see what I can find similar to this one.

 

[robbz28]

I really wish we had more info about your engine...but I know you don't know whats going on inside it. You need to do some basic test/tune up tricks like setting the timing, testing the compression in each cylinder, check the valve lash (you may have done all of this). But you can lose 50 horsepower on the timing and valve lash alone id its not adjusted properly, may also have something to do with your car running rich. Before I spent any money on a carb I would do those other things, the best part is they are pretty much free if you know someone with the tools to do it. I said all that to say this, if that 351 is a strong engine then that carb you listed might not be a bad choice, but if its mild then I think you might be better off with this one:

#9906 Edelbrock Reconditioned #1406 Performer Series Carburetor 600 cfm, Electric Choke

A car will run a lot better with too little carb than too much carb.

 

[robbz28]

I just read up on the 7300D...im not familiar with the autolites that well, anyway its a 715 cfm carb that was used on Boss 351c's. So if that engine you got is a strong runner then 750 might not be too much carb, i see it was 100 bucks cheaper too, and the good thing about a vacuum secondary holley is that it is only going to run on the front two barrels until the back ones are needed anyway.

 

[stmcatee]

I think at this point I'm going to buy the Edelbrock 1411, and go from there. I will do the compression check and the other tests you mentioned, but the carburetor I have now is in rough enough shape that I think I'm just going to stick a new one on the motor to get a good base line with. From there I can decide what (and if) I want to replace on the engine, like maybe a different intake-carburetor combination, or a new cam. But right now the car is in rough enough shape that I just want to get the motor running reliably and then work on the rest of the car. I have a long way to go before I need to start worrying about getting a little more horsepower out of it.
Oh, a couple of things about my car that I should have mentioned: I'm going to be running my car at roughly 5,000ft, and it will be my daily driver.
Once again, thank you for all the help. It's helped out a lot.

 

[woodsnake]

Just an FYI, but the Edelbrock is more difficult to get installed, with the Ford throttle. Also, your kickdown will need some attention as well. My experience is that a Holley is a bit more "installer friendly" than the Eddy.

 

[Edster]

That Summit carb looks like a copy of a Holley(sold in the late 80s and early 90s) that is a copy of the old Autolite cracker box carb. I would run a 750 on a 351C I have a 750 Edelbrock on my 302, and no trouble.

 

[stmcatee]

Woodsnake; you were right about the install. The adapter bracket stuck out to the side about 2" farther than stock, so I had to re-route the throttle cable and kickdown rod. Also, as far as I can tell the owners manual doesn't give you the specifications for the kickdown rod.
It has made a world of a difference though. My idle is way better and the engine sounds a lot happier. Now I just need to start leaning it way down.

 

[woodsnake]

Your kick down works "on the push"...At wide open throttle, your linkage needs to be 'down'. I' m sure somebody else on here that runs an Eddy can give you a better description.