[DoubleVision]

This thread is 4 years old.

[10scnd70]

I kinda found this forum by accident. I was actually doing a search for Predator Carburetors. I'm amazed to still see anyone saying anything negative about the Predator. I've known many people using them in the past 20+ years, and all have vowed to never go back to a Holley. We have a '70 Camaro that I've been 10.83 @ 125 MPH in... With a Predator. The car had a very mild 11:1 386 (destroked 400) with a .646" solid roller, Super Victor and a Predator. The first year we ran the car, we had 3 different Holleys on it. We tried a 950 HP, a BG 850 and a 750. I had some of the best carb guys around, working on these things. We did the whole Holley dance... Changed jets, power valves, pump cams, air bleeds, etc. The best I ever ran with the car was a 10.90. Most of the time, the junk Holleys would keep it in the 11.0 - 11.30 range. We literally pulled a Predator out of the box and bolted it on with a bellcrank to put the bowl at the front. My first pass on the car with the Predator was a 10.85. The Predator has 2 adjustments. No more power valves, jets, pump cams, etc. It stared better, idled better (with no idle circuit), had way better throttle response, and pulled harder than any of the paper weights Holley provided. It was also much happier at our 7600 RPM shift points. We ran the car for 3 years without ever touching the carburetor after that. After those 3 years, we swapped from the footbrake TH350 to a transbrake TH400 with a 2-step. We also went to a .705" roller and a tunnel ram and twin Predators. We made a couple chassis dyno pulls that showed we were lean. I called Predator, and they talked me through what to do to fix it. They even went on to tell me that if the changes they suggested didn't work, we could load the car up and bring it to them and they would tune it! As it turns out, they're suggestions were perfect and we went racing. My 322# cousin put the first run on the car. He did a very conservative launch to get a feel for the new transmission and 2 step. On a easy pass, he went 11.14, but we noticed the 4 year old bottom end was making some noise. One the next run, it broke a couple rod bolts and spit parts out the oil pan. The new motor is a Scott Shafiroff 434, and I can guarantee we won't use anything but the Predators on it.

[DoubleVision]

Now it`s 5 years old.

[Ron Golden]

5 POUNDS (???) of vacuum. "drill holes in it and things like that" (?).
I'd like to suggest you get a couple of carb books, read them and experiment on a few carbs and you'll see why nobody buys the Predator carb. After several years of building engines, carbs, etc and dynoing engines weekly I now recommend hot rodders buy what works and 99% use Holley carbs on their performance vehicles.

Ron

[10scnd70]

Um...Had the best of the best trying to get the Holleys to work. Yes, they tried drilling holes and nothing worked except throwing the Holleys away. Those 99% have probably never tried a Predator...

[scapegoat]

I can assure you guys that predators kick ***! Instant throttle response compared to any holley I have used.

[Kazoom]

I have used these carbs since I was a teen and love them, the guys that seem to have problems, seem to be trying to tune them like holleys or other carbs which wont work. The guys that know how to adjust/set them up right usualy love them.



I am going to get two more for another tunnel ram project.



These Predator carbs originaly were the Kendig 1250 cfm race carbs, when dyno don and others started using them they were outlawed by nhra because of holley crying that they were a type of fuel injection carb. I heard dyno liked these carbs alot and would of stayed with them if nhra would of not buckled to holley demands. This along with some other bad luck is why these carbs are not more main stream, but I think there history just makes these carbs even more trick.















It sure would be nice if I could find some more original engine bay pics of dynos old maverick/pinto with these carbs.

[10scnd70]

Originally Posted by Ron Golden

5 POUNDS (???) of vacuum. "drill holes in it and things like that" (?).
I'd like to suggest you get a couple of carb books, read them and experiment on a few carbs and you'll see why nobody buys the Predator carb. After several years of building engines, carbs, etc and dynoing engines weekly I now recommend hot rodders buy what works and 99% use Holley carbs on their performance vehicles.

Ron

BTW, you and that 90% are wrong! Sure, let's buy a Holley, spend a bunch of time on extra parts, and put a bunch of time into tuning it. For what?... Some piece of crap that still will never work as good as a Predator you can just pull out of the box and bolt on. Don't make absurd comments about something you know nothing about! Get your facts straight before you comment.
I want to go racing. To do that, I want to do it as cheaply, easily, and consistantly as possible...given the same results. That being said, The Predator is the reason I'll never own another Holley POS.

[unix]

Man that is a stout carb, thanks for the side shot of the internals. I have thought about this carb for a stroker, has a weiland air-gap style intake that this would bolt on nicely. Always been sold on this carb and thanks to you I may have been pushed over the edge on this bad boy.

Just killer!

[scapegoat]

I will bet money that the guys bashing predators have never used one. I had one of these on a 6.0 liter GM LS engine. Instant throttle response with zero lean or rich spots. Pulled like hell all the way to 7500 rpm's.

[austinhealey]

Originally Posted by unix

Man that is a stout carb, thanks for the side shot of the internals. I have thought about this carb for a stroker, has a weiland air-gap style intake that this would bolt on nicely. Always been sold on this carb and thanks to you I may have been pushed over the edge on this bad boy.

Just killer!

You are right for sure once you run a predator and figure out how to set it up you won't run a Holley again,we run 5.73 in the 1/8 mile on our SBC all motor drag car and droped to 6.20 with every holley we tried. One question can you get kits for the 1200's or will the kits for the 6000's work? I've found one and I'm looking at buying it.I have the new style but need a little more carb!

[lmsport]

The Predator was always decent on a boat or a drag race car. They suck on anything that has to run at part load.

[scapegoat]

Originally Posted by lmsport

The Predator was always decent on a boat or a drag race car. They suck on anything that has to run at part load.

Actually I had great drivability with my pxp predator on my 6.0 LS engine. I even have the version without idle circuits. It idles at 850 rpm's.

[austinhealey]

Actuaaly I've run one on my daily driver 1978 transam and a 1995 chevy 1500 with a BBC and had no problems. Now I'm not talking about one with A/c and all kind of vacume robbing accesorys but we hauled *** and pulled cars with them.It all boils down to taking the time to learn how to tune it,just like a holley! Holleys are good once you get them sorted out to it's just you have to have the right carb size for your application with the holley where the predator can compensate for the size carb the motor needs!

[maxdudy]

Well Im sure Holly and Barry Grant, Dominator/ and Edelbrock all love those that spend there money on this carburators. Just proves If you have enough money for Marketing, youll buy anything( case in point 6 Billion to re-elect Obomma.

If you know anything about induction, the variable induction is the best way to maximise airflow and velocity through a venturi.
All carburator manufactures use this technoligy in anycarb and almost all on their Vaccuum secondary carburator.
Lets face it the Perdator is not the best looking carb on the block and being tall gives it two strikes.
But variability and maximizing 14.7 to 1 fule ratio is probibly best accomplished with the predator and if your engine only flows half as good as the next guys, your vehicle will probibly perform better with the Predator.

I am looking for one now to put on my digger. I Have run Holly/ AFB/ WCFB /Autolite / Qjet and all work, just depends on how much fiddeling you want to do.
Anyone that has one and wants to sell let me know.
Regards to all:
long live the internal combustion engine and Drag Racing.