# Carburetor Help! Options???



## NorwalkNugget (Aug 5, 2011)

Ok folks, I'm back again for more help on my car as I'm trying to learn and figure out what to do. Fortunately I've taken pictures...

Let me start off by saying that I had the engine swapped from a 1971 Pontiac 350 to a 1973 Pontiac 350. I had my installer carry over the intake manifold and carb from the 1971 which is the following:

Edelbrock Pontiac Performer Manifold
Holley 650 Model 4777-5 Carb

Consider this below question 1.
Now a few things I noticed, when I first got the car there were 2 hole in front of the carb that one on the right was plugged and the other on the left (passenger side) was open. 

One mechanic who ultimately contributed to the engine blowing (long story) told me that a hose should connect the two. I was told that this was the PCV valve etc. I am a noob so I pretty much need to know exactly what it is in simpleton terms and how it should be connected etc.


Question 2.
This car is driven daily for the most part. As the weather has gotten colder, I have to use the mechanical choke. Long story short this is not ideal as this carb just seems like its parts aren't aligned right and needs to be rebuilt. I personally don't care for this carb and would rather get an Edelbrock and install it as it just seems simpler to setup on my own and use. 

Should I switch to an Edelbrock and if so which one? 
Should I stick with the Holley?
Is there a better carb you guys would recommend?


Furthermore, I took pictures of the horror-show going on under the hood to get an idea for what I'm dealing with vaccum wise and even the fraying throttle cable....

Any tips/recommendations would be greatly appreciated!


----------



## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

Buy a new throttle cable before that one leaves you stranded.


----------



## NorwalkNugget (Aug 5, 2011)

Yeah I plan on getting around to that. (replacing cable)

My goal is to basically have an electric choke. I've been watching a lot of video on tuning of edelbrock carbs vs holley carbs. My BIGGEST thing is gas mileage and I want to increase what I am currently dealing with which seems to be abysmal. I think the Edelbrock is a good carb for beginners to work with initially and maybe then I'll switch back over to the holley as I want to fully understand its capabilities etc. 

The Holley doesn't seem like rocket science but it's a lot more involved to tune than the Edelbrock.

Are the Edelbrocks really bad on power? I keep reading online a lot that throttle response won't be as strong... And if I do switch to Edelbrock, which model would you guys recommend for a Pontiac 350...


----------



## Jeff's Classics (Feb 24, 2010)

Based on what you are looking for (easy to tune, better mileage) I would definitely go with the Edelbrock. I have run QJets, Holleys, and Edelbrocks, and I find the Edelbrock to be the easiest to tune by far. Also, I have gotten good mileage with the Edelbrocks in the past, although I just put one on my '68 GTO and haven't had a chance to check the mileage on it yet. As far as performance, in my experience the Holley carbs will have the best WOT (wide open throttle) performance, but the Edelbrocks are equal if not better at part throttle and cruising. My friend with a '67 Firebird 400 just tried a 750 Edelbrock and thought it had better throttle response than the 650 Holley that was on the car. 
Good luck!
Jeff

Forgot to mention...I bought Edelbrock #1806 for my GTO 400. 650 CFM, adjustable vacuum secondaries, and electric choke. I suspect that would be right for your application as well, but you could save a few $$$ going with an old-style Performer without the adjustable secondary valve (AVS)


----------



## Jeff's Classics (Feb 24, 2010)

NorwalkNugget said:


> Consider this below question 1.
> Now a few things I noticed, when I first got the car there were 2 hole in front of the carb that one on the right was plugged and the other on the left (passenger side) was open.
> 
> One mechanic who ultimately contributed to the engine blowing (long story) told me that a hose should connect the two. I was told that this was the PCV valve etc. I am a noob so I pretty much need to know exactly what it is in simpleton terms and how it should be connected etc.


In your first picture, the 3/8" hose that loops from near the center of your intake to the passenger side of the intake should be your PCV hose. The two ports on the carb, if I am not mistaken, are the vacuum ports for distributor advance or other vacuum accessories. Looping them together is basically like capping them off, although one is ported vacuum and one is full vacuum (forget which is which). If it was my car I'd either cap them off or connect one (usually full vacuum) to the distributor vacuum advance port. I don't think that mechanic you mention knows much about carbs or old Pontiacs. 
Jeff


----------



## ppurfield001 (Jan 21, 2008)

I agree that Edelbrocks are easy to adjust. I have had nothing but good experience since I installed the Edelbrock carb in my car a couple of years ago. Good luck with your car.


----------



## Willshire (Jul 14, 2011)

i apologize for tagging a thread but what carb did you go with ppurfield? I am having trouble dialing in my 750 performer on my 389. i think i will reset it to original and change metering rods. i am rebuilding a qjet right now to go on my 64. Nugget, IMO the EDL-1406 would be a good carb for you. Very responsive and at 600 cfm is probably close for a stock 350 or a 650 avs. I replaced a 600 with a 750 on my 389 as there was not enough cfm up top but, i found the 600 to be more responsive than the 750 due to the smaller primaries as the secondaries are the same size.


----------



## NorwalkNugget (Aug 5, 2011)

Willshire said:


> i apologize for tagging a thread but what carb did you go with ppurfield? I am having trouble dialing in my 750 performer on my 389. i think i will reset it to original and change metering rods. i am rebuilding a qjet right now to go on my 64. Nugget, IMO the EDL-1406 would be a good carb for you. Very responsive and at 600 cfm is probably close for a stock 350 or a 650 avs. I replaced a 600 with a 750 on my 389 as there was not enough cfm up top but, i found the 600 to be more responsive than the 750 due to the smaller primaries as the secondaries are the same size.


Good to know, thanks for the info. I'm really curious to see how swapping from the Holley to the Edelbrock affects my throttle response... a lot of folks online claim I won't have the same "punch" that I currently enjoy.


----------

