im just woundering how well this carb will work with my pickup.... its all stock except for an edl. intake (idle to 5500) and the carb...... oh and i have flowmaster mufflers to........ so what do you think, would this carb be a good choice? also, ive heard that the holleys are a b*tch to jet and get running right... is this true?

 

i forgot to say that its a 1977 400 in a 1979 ford f-150

 

Some people swear by Holley carbs, others swear at them. I prefer Edelbrocks myself, but I won't tell you that a 650 Holley will not run good on a 400. An Edelbrock 1406 is ideal for a 400.

 

Holleys are really fine to work with if you understand haw carburetors work. The biggest problem most people have is when they begin to adjust the carb they let the idle get up to a point where it enters it's intermediate circuit and then they can never get it right. The rpm must be kept down so that you are in the idle circuit of the carb to get it properly adjusted there. The other circuits are easy to deal with with all of the parts Holley offers. I believe they have a part of their website that explains what to do for various conditions as does Edelbrock for their carbs. I am using an Edelbrock for the first time on my 400 and I think it's pretty good. Im going to put a Holley 650 on it soon to see any differences between them. It really is all about educating yourself a bit and getting the proper modifying parts if needed. I first learned Holleys years ago when I worked in a speed shop and my boss was a racer from way back. We sold a ton of Holleys and once in a while someone would drive up and come in saying what a terrilble carb it was. My boss would go out and in under 5 minutes have it purring like a kitten.

 

I'm going with the 1406 on top of a 2171 intake. And on the other end , turbo's on the end of the headers. Should breath real nice with the oil bath air cleaner replaced with a 14" air cleaner.

 

I have been messing with 4 barrels on 351M/400's for over 10 years now and Holleys always give me better throttle response and better idle with large cams.
I have tuned and tinkered with all of the carbs and there are MANY more available tuning combos for Holleys vs. Edelbrocks.
I have a Holley 850 Double Pumper on a 472 BBF with a Comp 280 Cam and it sits most of the time. Has for 3 years now and it will start right up and idle just fine. I would never buy and Edel/Carter style carb again. Holley is the only way to go.

 

For a street/daily driver engine an Edelbrock is the best choice. Less chance of a fuel leak and they can be tweaked in very nicely if you know what you are doing. Parts are readily available. A Holley is more trouble prone than an Edelbrock. Holleys are great for a weekend racer.