When you order the carb, order the jets and needle kit to tune it. If you follow the instructions in the kit and take the time to really get it RIGHT you could possible gain some mileage - if you stay out of it. If you just take it out of the box and bolt it on it will probably be a little rich. They have a tendency to build them that way to cover whatever it goes on. An engine is more forgiving of a rich mixture than a lean.

 

there are fuel economy gains to be had from swapping to a four barrel carb, but you are going to have to do some tuning to maximize these gains. start by optimizing your ignition timing and advance curve, then get into swapping the jets and metering rods for leaner ones. i have an edelbrock 600cfm carb on my elco. it was put on by a friend of mine when he owned the car, and i am afriad right now to work on the tune as it runs so good right now(he didnt do any thing but bolt the carb onto the stock intake).

 

well isnt the electric choke tuned lean enough already? edelbrock says its tuned 2% leaner....

 

If I understand what I think you mean - then once the engine is warmed up the choke is open and has nothing to do with consumption. Maybe they are telling you they have the choke set to come open a little quicker.

 

quad MPG

The main thing you will face is that the newfound power of the 4BBL has a tendancy to suck down on the right foot.

 

so do you think cost wise i should just stick with the 2 barrel for now, until i REALLY wanna switch to a 4 barrel? i mean, the trucks engine just got rebuilt and it doesnt have more than 1500 miles on it. it runs strong so maybe i dont wanna monkey around with it right now...

 

8) Just to add to the possible list. I know guys that have switched from the Edelbrock back to the Q-Jet and have seen gains in fuel mileage!
I know from personal experience that when I went from a 2 barrel on a early 350 in a pickup to a 750cfm Q-Jet I gained close to 5 mpg under normal driving conditions and better response under load.
It is hard to beat a well tuned Q-Jet carb.

 

thanks papa johns. i was actually considering that. where could i find a decent 4 barrel Q-Jet carb?

 

but with a edlebrock manifold wouldnt an edlebrock carb be better with it than a q-jet or would it not matter?

 

8) Places like Autozone have remanufactured ones for around 300 bucks w/o exchange. If you could find one off of a mid 60's to early 70's where there is no electronics you could rebuild it or have it rebuilt. I have been told the best come off of Cadillacs because they had an electric choke. You need someone that knows how to set them up properly. Seems those guys are getting scarce!
You could post on the wanted section for someone on the site that knows how or may have one that was recently being used!

 

would something like this work? would it work on an edelbrock mani?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ROCH...7085210-RARE-REBUILT_W0QQitemZ120266653052QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item120266653052&

 

Carb

It does not sound like the manifold has been purchased yet. If you go with a spreadbore carb like the Qjet, then Edelbrocks #2101 manifold would be better suited than the #2701. Edelbrock claims a slight power gain with the 2701 over the 2101 but I would say they had a squarebore carb on both for the test. Jegs also sells a reman Qjet. You may also want to check Edelbrock's web site to see if they have any of their version of the Qjet left in the closeout section. Somewhat pricey but new instead of reman.

 

maybe i should consider a 600 cfm holley carb? what would you guys recommend?

 

carb, or not

With fuel prices being what they are, leave the duce on there for now and save up for a swap to fuel injection. Holley sells one that bolts to a four barrel manifold for about $970. Price goes up from there. Members here that have made the change will tell you that it is money well spent.

 

haha alright thanks man i didnt even think of that. gas prices are pricey (you guys have it cheaper tho down in the states, here in BC its $1.35 A LITRE average right now) so i think i will stay with the 2 barrel.
thanks again,
Spencer