I'm a firm believer in the C/W setup! My 54-3100 came with a single Rochester.....was convinced that the engine was in sad shape. Wouldn't idle, carb leaked, hesitated. Rebuild of carb helped but it still dumped fuel and wouldn't lean out, so I went with a single Holley/Weber setup from Langdon and a fuel pressure regulator and gauge. Flawless out of the box.
Recently upgraded to a 1960-235 rebuilt with the usual tweaking but cammed for low-end torque. Added the Carter/Webers on an Offy intake..also exhaust heat to manifold.....once again, flawless out of the box. Am geared to cruise at 65-70@2000 rpm's in 5th gear (.72) with a 3.42 R&P and 28" rear tire. Have a little over 1000 miles on this engine without so much as a hiccup....only averaging 16.7 mpg but that was was more my having fun with the throttle then anything else. I'm running 3.5PSI of fuel pressure which I think might even help the stock Rochesters. The GM pump at higher rpm's seems to put out more pressure than the stock carbs want or need. The C/W's come with electric chokes, which cycle in less than a minute and the kit from Langdon is well worth the gingle.
The 235 isn't going to be a rocketship in a truck and the mechanical secondaries aren't going to snap your neck, but if you want reliable service, instant starts, hot or cold, reasonable mileage and are a friend of "set and forget" the C/W's might just be your ticket!!
To answer your question.....better than the Rochesters...read the posts about the typical Rochester problems and make your own call!!! I personally enjoy driving my truck more than laboring over a troublesome fuel delivery system. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!
Dave
