carb question, holley v edelbrock

[1970mule]

well i am in the market for a new carb setup, i have done quite a bit to my engine and it just does not perform as i want. I have a 302 with some mods with a 2 bbl rebuilt by holley, but i have had to many problems with it. I mean i had it tuned professially and all that and i started in on it also, it just does not give the power, i checked likes for vacu-leaks nothing. so instead of waste more time just going to take the plunge.

I have a few questions.
-which is the best for a 302, i heard 600cfm, so holley or edelbrock
-what should my mpg be after this upgrade?
-and how difficult is it to dial in once on?
-any other advice is appericated.

 

[broncnaz]

Its kinda up to you which brand 600cfm is about as big as you'll want. If you can get a 500 cfm carb that would be ideal. Edelbrocks are usually fairly good out of the box but they perform poorly offroad but they can be modified to work. Holleys are better offroad but usually require more tuning. Either carb you get will probably require some tuning so dont really expect to bolt it on and be perfect although it can be close.
Mileage incresaes are hard to determine your going to have to just see for your self there are many factors that affect mileage. In reality if your current engine/carb is tuned properly you wont see a increse in mileage.
To really get the most out of a carb and manifold swap your exhuast system so also be upgraded. In my opinion you can gain more from upgrading the exhuast on a SBF than you can from a carb/manifold swap. But they go hand in hand.

 

[zeeman1]

I've had good luck with the edelbrock carbs myself. The offroad kit for them is decent, but you'll still have problems on a steep slope.

 

[Dan's73]

Went from the stock 2bbl to an Edelbrock 600 (part of the "Performer Package") and, ultimately, replaced that with a Holley 470cfm Truck Avenger. The Holley worked great right out of the box; I didn't even have to reset the floats. Ended up jetting down the primaries a step to get it through emissions, but that didn't make any noticeable performance change. Can't really say about mileage, but it was never great to begin with.

My personal preference for carbs, in this order: stock Autolite, Holley, Quadrajet, Edelbrock. Tuning isn't bad & there are great threads about each of them if you search. Good exhaust can help too, performance wise. Good luck!

 

[blubuckaroo]

They all have to be tuned for your application if you want the best performance from it. Your cam, carb, and distributor curve all have to work in concert. Edelbrock has the best support for that with tech and part support. Besides that, Edelbrock doesn't use a silly diaphram operated power valve.

 

[Muddn7]

carb issues...

I removed a mild 302 from my Bronco, and found the perfect settup: I had a Holley 500cfm, with a 50cc accel pump. This motor (other than smoking lightly, and leaving its mark in driveways) ran like no other 302 I had ever owned. I used a vacuum guage to set the mixtures, and cheated a little with almost a half out from high vacuum. I have been sold on Holley Carbs for the offroad aspect as well. I have hit some grades that had my spare tire rack worried, and still ran great. Now I have a medium to mild built 351W in it, and I need to move to a 600. I still have the 500, due to rear end rebuild and finances, but love this carb. I have owned over 10 2Bbl settup ford v-8 vehicles, and no other came close! I havent tested the carb on major lean angle, but I do know my 74 in the past ran upside down with the stock motorcraft for a few minutes until I shut it off (revving higher as I acceled). Love the Holley, and plan on getting a 4Bbl for the intake! Hope this helps in your decision!

 

[1970mule]

so i think i was leaning towards the holley 470 truck avenger, do you know where i can find a good deal? and what could be the pros and cons of this.

plus it will not be an all trail rig i am going to use it as a DD once i get it dialed in and also run it good on the weekends

 

[SteveL]

The edelbrocks are great for the street and easy to tune but not so good off road. The Holleys are a PITA to keep int tune unless you are a Holley guy who likes working on them My bronco is street driven but more of a weekend toy. I've had better luck with a q-jet. I gave the holley away to run the carter/edelbrock for dependability when it was a DD. Then when it was ready for off road fun the Carter gave way to a q-jet. Great on or off road and it stays in tune. I bolted it on and haven't had to touch it since. Good on road with decent mileage and doesn't miss a beat off road.

 

[sworddancer]

Holley's web site does warn against towing with a truck avenger so I had to pass on it. It's supposed to be great for low end torque and best offroad but not so good on the higher reving engines. (Check out their website, they have a carb selection guide that asks you questions on how your engine is set up and how you will use it) I was looking at the 600cfm range and decided on their standard version. I put a short piece of fuel line from bowl vent to bowl vent with a few little holes in it kinda like the truck avenger's pipe that goes over the top though (been doing that for years long before they did). Couldn't find too much else different other than possibly needle and seat springs. If you pick a holley that isn't the truck avenger be sure to get one with side hung floats and not center hung. The float bowls on Holley's are on the front and rear of the carb and if the float is hung from the center of the bowl inclines will have a worse effect than if it was side hung, like on the truck avenger carbs. I just bought a Holley 600 to replace my 20 year old one not long ago. Got it from Advance. They ordered it and I got it a few days later and didn't have to pay for shipping so it was as cheep as anything I found online. They also now come with a DVD on exactly how to tune them. Mines a DD also but I primarily stay at the same altitude and never have to adjust it.

 

[phred]

I've had holleys on several trucks and they are good carbs but require tuning regularly. I've got an edelbrock on my tow rig and it is very friendly and requires little maintenance. I just bought one of Chucks qjets (jet performace) and I like it a lot. Not a gas milage carb for sure but it does run very well.
For a daily driver I vote for the edelbrock.

 

[ep67bro]

DD go with the Edelbrock. They need very little tunning out of the box. If your 302 is just mildly built I would not go over 500 cfm. I put a 500 cfm edelbrock on my 302 witch is stock with the exception of headers and a performer intake and it runs like a champ. Plus it is a lot cheaper that the 470 Holley truck avenger carb. But if you are going off road alot then the holley is probley worth the money.

 

[blubuckaroo]

Edelbrock has great tech support and a good line of tuning accessories. I hear that Holley's tech support is almost non-existent now since they've been laying people off.

 

[sworddancer]

I've never tried tech support for Holley. Maybe they replaced thier support team with that DVD that comes with their carbs now. I will say though that the DVD was so informative on how to adjust and tune it that I don't see how anyone could need to call tech support. I watched it for fun even though I felt I was good with holley's and I still learned stuff. But your listenenig to a Holley guy who's been using them since I was 16 and am probably just afraid to change when I've found something that works for me.

 

[blubuckaroo]

Since I have Edelbrock carb, and cam, they were able to help me to set it up as well as to make suggestions for the distributor curve to go with the set-up. It's worked pretty well for me.

 

[Ohio Bill]

I found out a tip from a dirt track racer...he suggested a 30cfm diaphram kit for the 500 carb, it would tame it to the point that you would not experience fuel shortage in the bowl on an incline. I haven't tried this yet.....I do like my Holley 2bbl.