I'm planning to switch my 1984 F-150 351W from feedback 2 barrel to an Edelbrock Performer manifold and 4 barrel carb. Yes i am going to switch from EEC to DS2 at the same time. My question is which carb to use, Edelbrock 600 CFM or Holley 600 CFM? Any experience with either that you would like to share would be greatly appreciated.

 

Holley is superior. A 600 CFM Holley 4160 should do fine for you and be a big improvement and easy to tune.

 

I've been hearing lately that if you enjoy tweaking and tuning and pulling every last ounce of power out of your setup then go with the holley, if you want a carb you can set and forget about it go with the edlebrock.

I've used and rebuilt both...personally the edlebrock is way simpler and is my choice, however i do like the way the holley trans kickdown and ford throttle level is setup.

 

Funny, I think Holley is easier to tune. I have no done much with Edelbrock though. The AFB is a good design, just I believe Holley is superior especially if you want to get the msot power out of an engine.

Beyond that, please let the rumors of carbs wandering out of tune die. Doesn't matter waht carb you run, Holley, Edelbrock, Weber, etc. Once you have it tuned there is no tweaking. Your engine doesn't magically want a richer or leaner mixture or nothing else has changed. Get over it. All carbs are set it and forget it.

 

I recently purchased a 600 CFM Holley 4160 and I just had to set the idle speed and idle mixture, plus I adjusted the choke to run longer.

I doubt an Edelbrock would be any easier or harder to use out of the box. Since I already know the basics on Holley, it's an easier choice that having to learn with an Edelbrok.

 

Until the fuel bowls start leaking, or the AP diaphram starts spitting fuel all over the engine. I'm sorry, but the design of the float bowls on a holley is just stupid.
I've got 2 holley's sitting on a shelf, and an edelbrock sitting on the engine. Pulled it out of the box, bolted it down, and adjusted the idle speed and mixture. Been fine since. Shockingly, this is on an engine that few can even comprehend how they work, much less understand the fine art of tuning them, a Mazda Rotary.
At least you can change jets, metering rods, AP plunger, metering rod springs, needle/seat assemblies and even floats on an edelbrock without pouring fuel all over the intake, unlike a holley. The only way to do that stuff on a holley without fuel draining all over the intake, is take the carb off and dump the fuel out. At over $3/gallon, I don't know anyone that wants to waste the stuff.......

I guess it shows that I'm not a holley fan. Sure, they've been around a long time, and have been copied/redesigned by many companies trying to resolve the drawbacks, but that doesn't make them superior in my book.......

 

+1 on the edelbrock. Mines been pretty good. Either one will work well, if you take the time to learn how it works and set it up, I can say that the several times I have used an edelbrock, they ran pretty good with the factory steeings. Can't comment on the holley cuz I never owned one.

 

I have an "84 351 HO..It has been changed to a Holley sometime over the years. No problems.. I had an Edelbrock on a HIPO 289 in my Cobra Kit..No problems..Some of the old FORD guys like the original Holley for the 351s.

 

I don't know where it comes from but the flow characteristics of a Holley 600 and an Edelbrock 600 are quite different.

I did a little research a few years back for replacing the carb on my motorhome with a 460. 600cfm was all the calculator said I needed, and the specs for the original 4180 said 600cfm as far as I could find at the time.

So I go buy a 1406 600 CFM edelbrock carb. That engine surely did not like that carb, even after switching to the metering rods and springs recommended by Edelbrock's support desk, she still ran in an extremely lean condition backfiring through the carb when under load (like going up a hill).

Long story short I rebuilt the 4180 and she has been fine since. I never thought to change the jets in the Eddie, but the forums were all telling me that I should have gotten a 750 for the beast. I went back to what Ford thought best.

I have both a Holley 4180 and an Edelbrock 1406 sitting on a shelf in the garage waiting for my next brilliant project.

 

Hmm, you don't want to waste a few drops of gas tuning a Holley yet you never touched the jets or metering rods on that Edelbrock. You're funny. I bet you couldn't tell me what your timing curve looks like either or how much mechanical vs vacuum advance you run, or how much vacuum your engine pulls at idle, cruise, and wide open.

Aside from that, I've never had a Holley leak in hundreds of thousands of miles of my daily driving. Holleys are simple, reliable and easy to tune. They give great performance and fuel economy. Personally I don't worry about spilling a few drops of fuel when I build and engine or put a new carb on one. Yes, the fuel bowls and blocks will come out a few times during the tuning process. It's quick and easy to drain the gas out of them and pour back into the tank, and put a rag under the bowl to soak up the small amount remaining in the bowl. If you have fuel puddling on your intake or a leaky carb, you're doing it wrong.

 

I like Holleys better. Always had good service from them, even the 4180s. The biggest
problem Holleys suffer is that people over torque the fuel bowl screws and end up
warping the sealing services and that causes leaks, both external and internal. Gaskets
can do just so much. If you true the sealing services and follow the Holley torque
numbers with an inch pound torque wrench you won't have leaking problems.

 

I have run an Edlebrock Performer manifold & a 4160 600 CFM Holley on my 86 F250 4x4 460/C-6 for 7 years. After I re-jetted & put on a quick change secondary housing & a Black spring all of this out of the box I have not touched it. That is SEVEN YEARS. The motor has 190,000 miles on it & I just filled it I get between 8-10 mpg empty & I get 6 mpg pulling out TT that weights in around 10K.
Holleys are easier to tune. Less expensive also to tune, as you can but pieces separate you don't have to buy tuning kits as with Edlebrocks. Some say that the Edlebrock once tuned get a little better mileage.
My belief is if you want gas mileage then get a 429 Q-Jet manifold & a NEW Q-Jet carb. Oh wait a minute your working on a 351W. My error

Craig

 

Unless you have an intimate working knowledge of rotary engines, none of those figures would make a lick of sense to you. It ain't like a piston engine, where things follow a certain logical path.

 

IMO Edelbrock is better for street use, while the Holley is for racing.
You're going to be doing lots of jet changing, rod adjusting, screw fiddling, etc with a Holley. Which is a good thing, when you're looking for all-out performance in specific track conditions.
That isn't necessarily what you want for a daily driven truck.
Tuning an Edelbrock is more a question of adjusting the balance screws and secondary spring, and maybe playing with the accelerator pump a bit. Much more user friendly.

 

Forgot we were talking about a rotary. I am not familiar with them aside from basic principle of how they work. Regardless, if your Holley is leaking fuel all over your intake adn you can't change jetting, tune metering block, etc. without making a mess spilling fuel, you're doing it wrong.