Ok i have a 79 F 150 4x4 w/ 400 bored out to 410 and a 4 speed manual tranny. It has an edelbrock 4 bbl manifold, comp cams 268h cam, dual exhaust (factory manifolds, headers in the future), and i have a cloyes double roller timing chain that i am going to put on when i get the time. It has a new 750 holley vacuum secondary carb. This carb is too damn big. I am going to replace it with something in the 600 cfm range (depending on manufacturer of course). What would be the best carb for this setup, Holley, Edelbrock, Carter? I have not really messed with carb tuning much but i plan on getting a carb tuning book. Money is somewhat of an issue. I can spend a lot of money on one but would like to stay under 300. I like the idea of the holley truck avenger and the edelbrock thunder series AVS offroad carb but at the extra price tag i dont think they are worth it. I am not a hardcore offroader but i do like playing in the mud and i do hunt and fish and of course i like to hot rod around a little bit but not too often(gas is too damn expensive to hot rod around and have a big ol 750 carb lol). I live out in the country and drive through fields and rough roads a lot and what not so the idea of those offroad carbs sounds great but i have never had a problem with my 750 or any other carb that would justify the money for the benefits of the "offroad carbs". Another thing i thought of was buying a carb that needed rebuilding. How hard is it to rebuild a carb? I believe i could do it with the proper manual. What would be a good place to find a carb that i could rebuild for much cheaper or would i be better off going with brand new unused carb? Sorry about the long post but figured i would give ya all my info and thoughts up front to make it easier to help. Thanks guys.

 

Personally, I love my Edelbrock 600 on my 400 (.40 over ). I had the carb on, and tuned to perfection in 1 hour!

 

If you can find a used Edelbrock #1406 (600cfm) for a reasonable price on ebay, then buy a rebuild kit from Edelbrock (#1477), also an off-road needle and seat (#1465), you should be on your way to a good carb at a reasonable price.

If the carb is in good condition, you might skip the rebuild kit.

 

I think Edelbrock has their set up info online at their web site. The Carter 9637 is the same as the 1406 Edelbrock and sometimes they are a little cheaper thatn what you find the Edel for. All the parts and kits are interchangeable. I just got the Carter for my son's truck and I have the 1406 on my truck. Incidentally the Carter zip kit from Summit is about $10 cheaper then the Edel kit and it's the same.

 

one thing to be cautious of in buying a used one, is that they can be worn out. The edelbrocks can wear out the housing where the shafts for the butterflies run through. Then you get an incurable vacuum leak.

 

I was thinking of puting a post about carbs then came across this one, and what cfm would be the best to go with for a 400m? I don't know the differece between all of them, but does like a 750 use a whole lot more gas than a 600? Also would around high 400s to low 500s be good for a decient performer (a little get up and go and off road performance) 4bbl set up like I'm looking for?

Thanks for any comments

 

An Edelbrock 750 CFM carb has larger primary venturis than a 600 CFM carb. This will make the 750 less efficient at part throttle operation. Since a 400 will pull no more than 579 CFM at 5000 RPM, a 750 CFM carb is a poor choice for everyday use.

Edelbrock also makes a 500 CFM carb, this will give you only a bit more power than a stock 2V carb, but it might be more efficient at part throttle than a large 2V.

The usual choice for a 400 is the Edelbrock #1406 (600 CFM).

 

I am wondering if edelbrocks come with the fuel line i will need to hook them up or will it be the same as my holley 750? I am assuming no but it would be nice if it did.

 

they have a nipple for a rubber fuel line. They do sell a kit that includes a chrome hard line.

 

I have a dual feed chrome fuel line on my 750 right now.

 

the eddie uses a single line, their chrome kit is around 35 bucks.

 

You can make that 750 work with some delicate tuning but it will be touchy to keep it tuned. The Edelbrock 1406 is a wise choice. Edelbrock sells refurbished carbs cheaper than new and they should not be worn out. Any carb can wear the throttle shaft bores and get an erratic idle speed problem.

Reman carbs from the parts stores can be junk right out of the box. I have found several over the years that were worn out.

 

What do you guys think of just getting an edelbrock reconditioned carb. I found them for 199 (215 w/ shipping) @ performance parts express and 209 (221 w/shipping) @ martel brothers performance. I think this is a good way to go. The carbs i have been checking out @ ebay havent been going for as cheap as i would like but i am going to keep my eyes open and see if i can find a great deal. I am going to wait a few days pry about a week or so and see what i can find. The one thing i am worried about is getting one that is worn out or one that has been over torqued and warped it. Also what gains would i have if i put in an offroad needle and seat and is that all i would need to install them or will i need new gaskets or something like that because it will have to be taken apart and reassembled? Thanks for the help again guys.

 

I would go for the Factory recon carb they have a warranty as good as a new one. skip the off road seat until you take it off road and see if you need it.

 

As far as ohter parts needed to replace the needle and seat. the top gasket is the only thing that you really disturb and if its not old and cracked you can reuse it just fine.