I have the same engine and carb and I was wondering what the OP asked too. My truck runs super rich and backfires too. I know everyone on here seems to say that a 600 cfm carb is too much for the engine, but a new carb is $300ish. Could I just buy a rebuild kit and put smaller jets in it? Im new to carbs.

Would this kit work?

Edelbrock 1477 - Edelbrock Performer Carburetor Maintenance Kits - Overview - SummitRacing.com

 

your link is for a rebuild kit, which is little pricey. Might try an Advance Auto or O'Reileys as they usually carry them for a little cheaper.

Edelbrock 1479 - Edelbrock Performer Series Carburetor Calibration Kits - Overview - SummitRacing.com

That is a link to a calibration kit. If your plugs are showing rich you'll need smaller jets, bigger needles or both to tune the carb.

600 cfm is a more than enough for a 302, but not enough to warrant buying another carb. Esepcially considering the next size down is a 500 and the difference in performance would be negligible.

Josh

 

So I should rebuild the kit and also re jet it with smaller jets and or bigger needles?

 

The calibration kit comes with different sizes of needles and jets, so you'll need to play around until you find a combo that keeps the engine happy.

The thing to keep in mind is it's true the carb is 600 cfm, but it is likely 250 cfm primary and 350 cfm secondary, and most driving is done on the primary side.

Josh