[air_cooled65]

I know theres some car guys that know their stuff on HT, so I have a question.
Basically, I'm fed up with the quadrajunk that was in the truck when I got it. (its a 350 bored .40 over, headers, stock heads) Because it came off a mid 70s truck, so there are TONS of vaccum lines that aren't needed. Also, the q-jet isn't tuned right, and I'm done messin with it, so i'm ready to buy a new carb. (and eventually an intake.)

I'm stuck between an edelbrock performer 600 CFM w/ electric choke or a similar holley.

I've heard bad things about holleys, that they are in no way "bolt-on", and some parts are cheaply made and cause problems. On the other hand, I know they are very popular, and probably make better performers than the edelbrocks when properly tuned.

So my question is, is it worth the work of the holley, or should I just buy an edelbrock to bolt on and run?

and sorry for the long read

 

[Pewter02WS6]

it has been years since i've had a car with a carb but back then, i never had any luck with the holley carbs on a chevy motor even when i bought brand new ones. IMO, holley carbs work best on fords and don't work too good on gm motors.
the edelbrock is a direct replacement for the quadrajet. i ditched a holley for a edelbrock performer years ago on my SBC and was more than pleased with it. it was much better than the holley. twice i cheaped out and got the holley because it was about $60 cheaper back then but eventually i learned and spent the few extra bucks.
get the edelbrock, you won't be disappointed.

to add, i bought the Edelbrock Performer RPM aluminum intake and was very pleased with that as well. who knows what they have on the market now but that was one of the best back then.
sending you an email too!

 

[air_cooled65]

to add, i bought the Edelbrock Performer RPM aluminum intake and was very pleased with that as well. who knows what they have on the market now but that was one of the best back then.

The one i'm thinking of getting is the RPM Air Gap. And thx for your response.

 

[Toy Vettes]

I love a holley carb because I'm always working on the race cars. The carb'd car I drive is an edelbrock. Set it and forget it. I like the performance of the Holley over the edelbrock, but if it's something you don't want to mess with every few weeks, I'd take the edelbrock

 

[69Stang]

OK, you know that if 10 people respond, you will have 10 different anwsers! I feel that the Edelbrock is much more plug and play. I have a 700 with the elect. choke, on a way overbuilt Ford 302. It is a dream! VERY easy to adjust jetting if needed.

But I have always felt that the Holly offered more performance oppertunity IF YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT! You can easily adjust yourself right out of the ballpark with a Holly Carb. It works best ( again, only in my opinion ) for someone who likes to tinker on the carb, if you want to bolt it on and forget it, go with the Edlebrock.

Carbs are truly a black art! I suck at art...I went with the Edlebrock!!! Good luck.

 

[carnut2256]

That's a falsehood that began because Holley made so many "Autolite" carbs for Ford. There are millions of small block Chevy's running around with Holley's on them.

I ran a speed shop for years, and sold (and used) both. The Holley is so much more "tune-able", but that comes at the price of reliability. They can be fussy and undependable, best used for short usage. The Carter/Edelbrock is a put-it-on-and-forget-it type of carb.

If you do get the Holley, get a 600 CFM Vac. Secondaries version with the "anti-blowback" valve and an electric choke. I used one for about two years, through most seasons, and except for a plastic idle cam that keeps wearing out, I never had a problem and fuel mileage was very good (basically it takes in just what it needs, as determined by throttle position). The Holley may be a universal pattern that needs a spacer/adapter, but in a truck, clearance shouldn't be a problem. (Holley does make a bolt on "Q Jet pattern" carb, but I never cared for those)

 

[wlpaul]

Stick with what the manufacturer put on it origonally.

I put a Holley on a '74 Charger SE I owned, and it was more tempermental that the Thermoquad I took off of it. It would have been better to put a redone Thermo on it.

I also owned a standard '69 Camaro with the quadrajet, and loved it! It was the exact opposite of the Charger. It was not tempermental it ran evenly throughout the year despite cold, heat, and weather changes, with no adjustments.

 

[montegogt]

Actualy the Quadrajet is a very good carb when it's in good condition. One problem is the throttle shaft wear on high mileage/abused vehicles. One rebuilt by a specialist in Q-jets can make them a great carb. For bolt on replacements I will bow to the concensus that Holley is supremely tuneable but fussy, and Edelbrock is "set it and forget it"

 

[FLOYDFROG]

IMO, for street use I'd go with the Edelbrock carb. As far as the Q-Jet, the late great John Ligenfelter once said the best Q-Jet ever produced was from the 1969 model year. Properly tuned, it could out-perform any OEM carb. on the market.

 

[noddaz]

I would agree with MontegoGT

Actualy the Quadrajet is a very good carb when it's in good condition. One problem is the throttle shaft wear on high mileage/abused vehicles. One rebuilt by a specialist in Q-jets can make them a great carb. For bolt on replacements I will bow to the concensus that Holley is supremely tuneable but fussy, and Edelbrock is "set it and forget it"

He pretty much said it all...
My experience with my 1972 Camaro and 1972 Ventura was that I received the best all around idle, mileage, and performance with the Q-Jet....
And no other carb sounds quite the same when those huge secondaries kicked open...:lol:
Scott

 

[scrambler81]

I'm a long way from a technician, but I have used both on my CJ. When I first dropped in a 350, I used a Holley. It was great when pushed hard, but it was quite finicky most of the time. Eventually, I got tired of playing with it, and switched to an Edelbrock 600. It ran much smoother, and was more reliable, after that. Of course, I've since dropped in a fuel injected small block, and I'll take that over either carb. :thumbsup:

 

[air_cooled65]

well, I can't afford EFI. Even if I could, I wanna keep the truck simple..... I don't even have power steering or brakes yet. :freak:

 

[scrambler81]

well, I can't afford EFI. Even if I could, I wanna keep the truck simple..... I don't even have power steering or brakes yet. :freak:

Oh, I understand that. My Jeep is mighty simple, but when my old engine started failing, someone gave me a trashed Chevy wagon with a solid drive train. Couldn't say no to a free engine, and once the wiring was worked out, it was great.

 

[siggy]

I'm running a Holley 750 with mechanical secondaries on my Montego for years now and I don't have any problems with it . I don't know about the edelbrock carb myself but some of the guys that I do know that have them on their rides love them .
I guess its gonna be your choice in the long run .

 

[Atencio]

I prefer Holleys especially the Ford Holleys from the late 60's only because they are what I am used to. Edelbrock carbs are very nice and dependable according to some of friends that run them.

 

[TheDarkCutlass]

Only seen it mentioned once, but Holley's have there problems with there blowback valves. Also saw this a couple times, Q-Jets are the best carburator ever made, if tuned properly (which can be a bare). Edelbrocks are great for there simplicity. I yanked the Q-Jet off my 83 Delta 88 due to the fact that it was time to rebuild it... and i had access to a $5 Edelbrock Carb (man i miss those junk yard days). Needless to say, after an adapter (the edelbrock had the standard bolt pattern, not the q-jet one) and a spacer (had to clear the egr valve) which then give it a 2" tunnel ram setup, tuned it in the driveway in about 2 minutes, and i was good to go till the engine finally gave out about a year later(roughly 200k hard earned miles)

My opinion, if you don't want the q-jet due to having to mess with it all the time, get the Edelbrock

 

[PWSchuh]

If you do any off-road driving, the Holley Truck Avenger is a great carb. I have one on my 4x4. Had it properly set up by a professional and haven't had any problems with it. Works great at weird angles.

 

[air_cooled65]

thanks everyone for the responses.
I've finnaly decided I'm just gonna go with an edelbrock performer for reliability... anything I can trust to work without me messin with it is good on this truck, since more than likely, I'll have other problems to mess with.
Plus, its gonna be a daily driver, so economy over performance is perfectly fine with me.