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update on intake swap

3K views 41 replies 15 participants last post by  chevellenut 
#1 ·
Hey eveyone just wanted to let you know i swapped out the torker intake for a preformer RPM today and i have to say so far i love it.I got alot more trottle resonse, ive just got to drive it for a couple miles so far but in the morning im going to get it out and tune every thing in ,might even get rid of the holley carb and put a edelbrock on there. Sorry to bore everyone but i just had to tell someone.So thanks to everyone that answered my questons about them.
 
#3 ·
DoubleVision said:
Stick with the Holley, you won`t see any difference in performance by going with the edelbrock, and the tuneability of the Holley speaks for itself.
Yeah, it says "TUNE ME, TUNE ME" cus that what you have to do....Tune it every other day. Get the Edelbrock.
 
#4 ·
I would really like to stay with the holley but i can never seem to get it set just right.Right now i have a stuble when you give it more gas, and its running rich.IM about at my witts end at getting this thing set up and keeping it there.Any ideals as to what to do to it and ill try it.
 
#5 ·
carb

I vote for the eldal, they don't leak as bad .
 
#12 ·
you also only have just a few members Opinions as what I gave. go with whichever carb you wish, when you have the edelbrock and you need to tune it, have fun, you have to do so with metering rods, if you want to quicken the rate the secondary`s open you have to shave metal off the tab and pray you don`t shave it too much if you do it`s ruined. secondly, all carbs have to be tuned, there`s many on this board that trashed there edelbrocks, there demons, there Quadrajets, etc all because they don`t know how to work on them or tune them, it`s not the carbs fault the operator don`t know how to tune it. a carb is a carb, it`s a simple device that meters the air fuel mixture and that`s all it does. there are members here who swear by and swear at many different types of carbs and go on claiming this one is better no that one is better, the best one is the one that works for you. I`ve ran edels, holley`s, Quads, Demons, and of them all I perfer a Quadrajet, and I`ve seen so many on this board call them Quadrajunk and etc. I understand how they work and how to work on them, there simple to fix and just as easy to tune and maintain, yet the small primary`s in a mildly hot rodded small block makes it so sensitive it`s almost like fuel injection, and the massive secondary`s are there when WOT throttle is needed. as I already said, run the edel, when it gives you problems you`ll feel the same way about it as you do the Holley and any other carb you use until you learn to fix them, there`s no such thing as a hassle free carb.
 
#13 ·
In the past, for the street I use to be partial to Carters & Edlelbrocks( & Q-jets).but....over the last 10 years, for some reason Istarted running into tuning & adjusting issues...& sowere friends.
I tried a new Holley Street Avenger a few years back & loved it. I recomended it to a couple friends...they switched & love em...although a couple have been reluctant.
Now on my 454 I have a new street Avenger 770 Holley...& its been flawless. When I bought the truck it had a brand new 750 Edelbrock. I could make it run great 1 day...next day id have to swap metering rods...next day idle mixture adj.
aI said screw it...swapped to the Holley....havent touched it in 3 monthes...its perfect. Next will be a good ol Q-jet;)
 
#14 · (Edited)
As long as you keep a Holley clean they will work fine. Make sure the gaskets are new also. If there is any slop in the throttle shaft that can cause problems too because the butterflies will close differently every time. If you get those things right, and take the small amount of time needed to learn how to tune them, then they are better than all the other carbs. If you are lazy and not too bright than stick to the Edelbrocks, etc.. There is no beating a Holley or their clones in regards to performance and tuning.

Go out and buy a vacuum guage if you don't already have one. Make sure you have the correct powervalve for your engine's vacuum. The Holley site tells you how to do it. Then set your idle mixture for highest manifold vacuum. Your problems with your carb are easy to solve.

http://www.holley.com/HiOctn/TechServ/TechInfo/Trblsht.html

http://www.holley.com/HiOctn/TechServ/TechInfo/TI-222A.html
 
#15 ·
love my Holley, run it, never work on it.

But everyone has had different experiences with each type and are going to give you their recommendation accordingly. Sounds like either would work, so maybe it boils down to $$ or whatever. Probably either will work fine, just go for it, and good luck!
 
#16 ·
This is a discussion I usually try to avoid, but since I saw some incorrect information towards the Holleys I thought I would give my $.02

Double Vision and lluciano are both correct. Holleys are SO tuneable that people get themselves in trouble. Once you know how to tune it or have someone tune it that knows holleys you should not have to touch it again. Edelbrock/Carter/Weber carbs are good for beginers, you bolt them on and tune the idle mixture screws and you're off and running (just not as good as you would be with a Holley).


There is a reason every fast N/A car at the track and on the street has a Holley on it. There is a reason companies made copies of holleys. If you are after performance you can't beat a Holley. If you just want to cruise around town then a Edelbrock/Carter/Weber will do fine. You are just leaving a little performance on the table.

I am not going to argue which carb is better I have run both styles and Holleys just plain out perform the Carter type carbs.

There are a lot of different types of Holleys so make sure you have the right one for your application.

If you don't know how o tune a Holley and aren't willing to learn then buy an Edelbrock/Carter/Weber. They are more user friendly, just less tune-able.
 
#19 ·
well i didnt get to go get the edlebrock today i spent the day messing with this holley.CHeck the acc,pump ,power vavle try a diffrent jet, adjusted the air fuel and know the thing still runs like junk, still got a hesitation to it and backfiring a little.It acts like it flooding in a way but i check the floats and there right according to holley, im at my wits end with this thing.


Any ideals
 
#20 ·
Keep trying. You need to start with the recommended jet size. Then try the other things. If your float level is okay and your mixture is set with a vacuum gauge, the next thing to do is make sure you have instant pump shot. Turn the throttle shaft by hand. There should be gas coming out of the accelerator pump nozzles immediately. That should get you closer.

What is your vacuum at idle? What powervalve are you using? Maybe the powervalve you are using is blown. Are your spark plugs fouled?

If you want to own and drive a Hot Rod, you are going to need more patience and knowhow. Otherwise you might as well buy a grocery getter. An Edelbrock tunes using the same basic methods as a Holley, or Carter. If you aren't getting it with a Holley, going to an Edelbrock with out of the box tuning is not the answer. Don't be so quick to blame the carb. Once you do those things that I mentioned, if there is still a problem, you might want to check that your timing and distributor are adjusted correctly.
 
#21 ·
There are books out there on Holley carbs. " How to tune", "How to rebuild", etc..

lluciano is right, you can throw any carb on there that you want and until it is tuned properly you will not have the performance that the car is capapble of. I am willing to bet you can stick the Edelbrock on there and the car will run better out of the box than it will with the un-tuned Holley. That still doesn't prove the Holley is bad, it just proves that it wasn't tuned right. There are so many parts availabe for the Holleys I don't think one is ever beyond repair/tune.

If you have no desire to learn to tune (which takes patience, practice and time), then I suggest putting the Edelbrock on, out of the box just adjust the mixture screws (the two on the front) to get maximum vacuum (or highest idle speed, if you don't have a vacuum gauge). This will make your car drivable and will run decent.

You are the only one that knows your goals, If maximum performance doesn't matter or if you just want the car driveable then there is nothing wrong with swapping the carb.
 
#22 ·
I have read every thing i could find about tunning a holley and ive messed with it for a year and a half now.Ive been able to get it to run great for a while but then its back to working on it again.
This time it has fouled my plugs, i took some sand paper to them tonight and that got it running im going to get some new ones tommorow.The vaccum gauge i have showed 10 pounds in park and only around 2 and ahalf in gear.Ive got a 3.5 power vavle in it right now that was all auto zone had the other day.But your suspose to get on 2 points lower than you vaccum so what do ya do.Ive alwas heard not to plug it off so im kinda stumped on that one.Maybe my gauge is wrong.I adjusted the acc,pump today to.15 on the filler gauge thats where holley said to put it.I just dont know guys.I would really like to keep the holley because i do feel when one runs right they are the best but know i would settle for less power just to beable to get in my chevelle and drive it with out having to fittle with it.
 
#23 ·
Any aftermarket carb will need to be tuned to your specific vehicle, motor,trans and gearing for optimal performance,like the guys above said take the time to dial a holley in and you never will buy a carter/edel carb.Holleys are much more tuneable than the competition.
 
#24 ·
If you only have 2" of vacuum and have a 3.5 power valve then the power valve is opening and loading up the engine. More importantly though, I think you should have more than 2" of vacuum unless you have a killer cam in there. I would suggest checking the timing. Can you let us know what you engine combo is. If you have a very aggressive cam, like 242@50 and up you can drill small holes in the butterflies to help with the idle. By the sounds of it, you may be idling on the main circuit as opposed to the idle circuit by having the idle set too high and uncovering the idle slots. If its a double pumper you can also adjust the secondary throttle blades open slightly to help with the idle. You can advance the timing which will bring the idle up and then back off the idle screw to set the idle. We really need to know what the set up is.

Steve
 
#25 ·
2" of vacuum is way too low. What size cam are you running?

That 3.5 powervalve is always open. There is your stumble.

Don't adjust the accelerator pump to .015" on the feeler gauge. Do what I said and verify instant pump shot. Instant pump shot is very important. That feeler gauge measurement isn't always accurate.
 
#26 ·
Ive run many of both,but hands down,a dialed in holley has my vote.Beware of cheezy rebuild parts,they'll turn your hair gray. You might consider a demon carb,but whatever you choose,you'll just be lucky if you bolt it on and its wright,holley carbs are crudely casted and Ive had to trash a couple because of porosity,but,they are a good design, thats why I now run demons. good luck.
 
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