The previous owner of my '63 C20 had installed a 305 and TH350 from a '78 Camaro. The motor and trans had been rebuilt. It runs well, but there are a few quirks. My brother-in-law is a mechanic and a drag racer and had some suggestions. He also, however, is wealthy and for him cost is no object.
Being this isn't my reality, I hoped I could get a 2nd (or 3rd, 4th, 5th...
) opinion on his recommendations.
Here are the problems/specifics.
1) The choke is disconnected so the truck runs rough until it warms up a bit.
2) The carb is a Carter 2BBL and the engine has its stock HEI distributor.
3) There is a fairly significant oil leak at the intake manifold. I believe it's just the gasket, but because the manifold, distributor, etc., he said it's upgrade time.
4) The vacuum advance on the distributor is disconnected.
Here's what he suggests:
1) Holley 4BBL 600CFM carb with vacuum advance and electric choke
2) MSD HEI distributor and coil with a MSD 6A "box"
I haven't priced everything yet, but this is shaping up to be ~$1000 worth of upgrades. My goal is decent power with decent fuel economy. I don't want a racecar, just to have the power available for hauling, etc. I was also hoping to spend about half ($500).
Specifically:
1) What kind of real-world performance could I expect with the dist/coil/box upgrade? Do I need the box or will just the distributor make a difference?
2) The 4BBL seems like a good upgrade. Any thoughts?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
John
