I'm fairly certain that the carb on my '85 F-150 351 HO is the reason for my hard starting and stalling when cold (and probably poor gas mileage too).

I don't know hardly anything about chokes, but the choke thermostat looks to be broken. Under no circumstances does the choke plate ever close, or even move for that matter. The carb probably needs a rebuild as well. I bought a kit and a book for the procedure, but it looks like the 4180 might be too complicated for a first timer. The factory rebuilt carbs I've found are more expensive than the new ones from Summit, etc, so there's no way I'm going that route.

I was looking on eBay and found a lot of nearly new carbs (used for a few months or so) in the $100 range. This seems almost the same price as trying to repair my existing carb, and (I'm guessing) much less hassle.

So my question is: can I just get a 600cfm Holley 4160 or Edelbrock 1400 and basically bolt it right up or is it going to be a big pain in the butt? And/or require a lot of extra parts ( and $$$)?

Also, the Edelbrocks appear to go for significantly more than the Holleys. Are they worth it?

 

I have the identical "hard start" problem and I noticed that the choke plate seems to be permanantly left open and doesnt want to move. I've replaced all the plugs, plug wires, dist cap/rotor, fuel pump, fuel filter, air filter/breather too. But still have the same starting problem. The fuel consumption is rediciously high too. I'm not too mechanicallly inclined...so, are these the symptoms of a shot carb???

 

Ebay seems to have alot of good deals on slightly used carbs i bought my rebuilt on and it came set up so i could just bolt it right on and it was a pice of cake. i think it would be way easier

 

Jeepin had a simular post and the answers he received were few. There is not much written on the 4180 but basic principals from 4160 will apply.
If you have hard starts does choke work? It is elec. fed from alternator. Condition of power valve. Did anybody check the 3 carb base gaskets mentioned befor?
Sugestion: Go to jeg's or Summit and buy a HOLLEY manuel and study your situation to match the book.
Question: Since the cars & trucks of the last18 yr have efi then where are allthese so called like new carbs w/only 2-300 miles coming from.
Why buy a used piece of *** off e-bay for good money when don't know anything about it?
As I Said befor REBUILD IT Use factory settings.
But this eng carb setup is dissapointing.
NOTE: putting on dual exh w/out cat. conv's will make driveability worse . Gas mileage will suffer and not much power increase.
caddy 53 chuck

 

Jeepin had a simular post and the answers he received were few. There is not much written on the 4180 but basic principals from 4160 will apply.
If you have hard starts does choke work? It is elec. fed from alternator. Condition of power valve. Did anybody check the 3 carb base gaskets mentioned befor?
Sugestion: Go to jeg's or Summit and buy a HOLLEY manuel and study your situation to match the book.
Question: Since the cars & trucks of the last18 yr have efi then where are allthese so called like new carbs w/only 2-300 miles coming from.
Why buy a used piece of *** off e-bay for good money when don't know anything about it?
As I Said befor REBUILD IT Use factory settings.
But this eng carb setup is dissapointing.
NOTE: putting on dual exh w/out cat. conv's will make driveability worse . Gas mileage will suffer and not much power increase.
caddy 53 chuck SORRY THIS IS DUPLICATE

 

As already mentioned, the choke does not work (it won't close). Jeepin, it sounds like you're in the same boat. After reading other posts on this board, it's likely the choke thermostat (black plastic thing on the passenger side of the carb). And a carb rebuild is probably in order as well to improve fuel economy.

I do have "Holley: Rebuilding & Modifying" by Jeff Williams, which details the entire rebuild process, but again, I'm not sure it's worth all the time, trouble, and money. If I have to spend $40 on a rebuild kit, $40 on a choke thermostat and new pulloff, $15 on the guide book, and $10-20 on special tools that I don't already have, plus the better part of a weekend to remove, rebuild, and replace my old one, a new (or nearly new) carb is starting to sound like a better deal.

The "barely used" carbs on eBay are not factory parts. They are new-model aftermarket carbs that can be bought at autoparts stores, performance shops, Summit, Jeg's, etc. They generally come with the original retail packaging, manuals, etc and were taken off somebody's muscle car project after a few months because they decided they need a bigger carb (or engine). Not just some carb taken off a car in a field or something. However, your point is taken. It's always a risk buying used parts. But buying from an eBay seller with high feedback is rarely a risk and the age/condition of the carb can be estimated to some extent from the pictures.