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I have a Edlebrock 1405 that I took off a previous project because it just wouldn’t idle right. Should I attempt to kit it and use it for my new project or pass it along to someone else? As a side note that was the second Edlebrock I had trouble with. What do you all think.

Are you a fisherman? Edelbrocks make good trotline weights! They look like a Carter AFB- - - - -from about 30 feet away.
Jerry

Martin,

I have an Edelbrock carburetor on the Chevy 350 engine in my roadster street rod. It started life as a 1405. I added an electric choke and experimented with jets and metering rods to find a combination my engine likes. The jets came from a Carter "Strip Kit". Some of the metering rods came from that same "Strip Kit" and some came from Kragen Auto Parts, ordered from Edelbrock. That work was done in 2003. Since then I've adjusted the idle mixture screws twice, many years apart, following the exact procedure recommended in the manual that comes with those carburetors. Other than that the carburetor has not been touched.

It works well, yielding both power and fuel economy that seem very good.

I'm a geologist, not a mechanic, so this describes the results achieved by an amateur.

Yar, thanks for joining the discussion.

When working at a parts house a few years ago I got a really good discount on them and have ran 3 of them.....no problems. Maybe I'm the lucky one????
Martin, not sure it will help but I have a book that came with the last one and it has details about switching jets/rods along with a C/D that may help you straighten your carb out. They are really fairly simple. If you like I can ship them to you for review. PM me.

"Yar, thanks for joining the discussion."

You are very welcome Martin. I've been reading automotive enthusiast publications since the late 1950s. In relatively recent decades the consensus has been that Holley is high maintenance but the best choice for maximizing power output and Carter AFB/Edelbrock AFB clones are best for holding a tune and being generally maintenance free. I found that to be true and apparently the chipmunk did also.

I kept notes as I dialed in my jetting and if our engines are similar my settings may get you in the ballpark. My engine is a 0.020 overbored sbc 350, 9:1 compression, 70cc combustion chamber Edelbrock "Performer RPM" heads, Edelbrock "Performer" intake manifold, Crane hydraulic camshaft 218/230 @0.050. A Crane representative recommended that camshaft explaining that although designed for street performance it also delivers impressive fuel economy. That turned out to be true delivering an honest 19-20 highway MPG in my roadster with 3.80 rear gears and a 200 4R OD automatic trans. That is a highboy '32 Ford roadster that isn't very aerodynamically efficient.

My 350 project currently has a Edlebrock bolted on. It came with the engine. Have only run it a couple minutes but thats about to change shortly.
I'm going to try it out 1st. I also have a QJet and a rebuildable Holley should the Edlebrock not cut the mustard.

There's alot of Edlebrocks running around here and those I've talked to say they're usually a "set it and forget it" carb.

Should you refresh it? I look at it this way, if your going to sell or trade it, I wouldn't. If you want to give it another try on your new engine, I would. Easy peasy LOL....
Good luck
Dave

As this thread represents, enthusiasts have different experiences with the two carbs. HRL wants to use Ebrocks as fishing weights and others have good/reasonable experiences with them.

I like Fxrds, but they don't like me. My first car was a 61 Sunliner convertible, 390, 4 spd. I loved that car, but something was always breaking on me and I was working on it more than driving it. Owned a couple of other Fxrds, with the same result. Finally switched to GM's.

I put a new Holley on my 71 Monte Carlo - daily driver, because that's what everybody did and liked them. I couldn't get that carb to work for me ---leaked like a sieve, and just wouldn't run right ---for me. I switched to and Ebrock with electric chock and never looked back.

What works for me may not work for others, and visa-versa.

In Missouri, there is a saying that there are two categories of houses:

(1) Those that currently have trouble with termites
(2) Those that will have trouble with termites.

Jerry - why would you want to scare the fish?

Quote Hot Rod Lincoln: "They look like a Carter AFB- - - - -from about 30 feet away." End quote.

And Yugos look like Rolls Royces from 30 feet away; after all, both have 4 wheels!

Jon.

Virtually all aftermarket carburetors come in the "one size fits none" category out of the box. They must be tuned for a specific engine displacement, intake manifold, camshaft, cylinder head, and exhaust configuration. That includes Holley, Edelbrock, Weber, and a bunch of others. (Yes, even Carter!) Some purchasers are willing to accept half-donkey performance, as long as the engine starts, idles, and more or less runs at midrange and full throttle, so it's "good" in their opinion. Since they don't have the knowledge, skill, or test facilities to evaluate whether or not they're getting the best fuel mixture for a variety of operating ranges, they're satisfied with whatever the carb manufacturer chooses to give them. One point of reference- - - -in racing applications, Holleys are easier and less expensive to tweak for better performance than Edelbrocks. Holley main jets and power valves are plentiful and less expensive than Edelbrock metering rods and springs. They also have different volume accelerator pumps and pump operating cams to adjust the pump shot. If the carburetor the engine manufacturer spent millions of dollars of R&D money on isn't sufficient for some reason, the hotrodder with a box of wrenches and screwdrivers and an "I'm smarter than all the engineers" attitude probably deserves what he gets. That's particularly true if he has a computer and he can Google up a few dozen articles written by some unknown "expert" to support his delusions of intelligence.
Jerry

We got termites. We got fish. Don't need a trotline weight, trotlines are illegal in Calif. How bout some facts? The Edlebrock 1405 in my pickup has been running golden for 5 + years. Now you guys have me spooked. Is my carb gonna self destruct some time soon or what?. Should Martin use his carb, or sell it to me and then I'll get me a manifold and have dual quads on my engine! Yikes! double trouble!

My last experience with Edlebrock carbs was on my, now residing with someone else, 1948 Suburban Streetrod. While on a closed route cruise night 3 years ago it began sputtering then died in the middle of Highway 66 with 200+ cars doing a 3 mile closed loop. Pushed it around a corner and popped the hood. Could not readily find any problem. Did manage to get it refired and started towards home 4 miles away. Had to keep it at a high rev all the way, putting it in neutral at every intersection. Died twice along the way but got it going each time. Choke was not hung closed. The next morning I changed out the carb with another 1405 that came off another 350. Started right up and ran fine for about 6 months. It then began running rough. I bought a Holley Street Demon and replaced the Edlebrock. Was still running great when I loaded it on the transport for a trip to Alabama and it’s new owner last week. I’m not particularly inclined to try again.

Jerry had brought up a very good point about aftermarket carbs; for best performance, they ALL require some degree of tuning.

This is even more true with O.E. carbs IF they are migrated from one application to another; which is why I asked the OP in his other thread for carb numbers. It is ALWAYS easier to modify a carburetor if you begin with one closer to your goal.

Virtually ANY carburetor may be modified; depending on the tuner's knowledge, skill, and parts/tools available to him/her. As an example, I have the capability of machining my own specification metering rods for genuine Carter carburetors. Also for Rochester Q-Jets. And I have every tension spring that Carter ever used (and some they didn't) to tune the timing of the metering rod operation. Jerry mentioned the different volume accelerator pumps for Holley, and the same is true for Carter.

Tuning skill is an acquired trait. No one was born as a carburetor specialist! As Holleys have been popular for so long, there are lots of really good aftermarket books to teach a willing pupil about Holley carburetors. The same is true for Rochester. To date, I have yet to find a really good aftermarket book concerning Carters, Strombergs, or Zeniths. But all of these manufacturers, also including Holley and Rochester and even Autolite, offered some excellent "school" materials back in the day. More difficult, and more expensive than the aftermarket paperbacks on Holley and Rochester, but available.

As the other two brands mentioned in this thread are permanently banned from our shop, I have never needed to look for decent aftermarket books, and have no idea (and don't really care) what might be available for them. Obviously, there are no O.E. (Chevy, Pontiac, Ford, etc.) literature as they were never used as original.

Jon.

"To date, I have yet to find a really good aftermarket book concerning Carters, Strombergs, or Zeniths."

Good morning Jon.

Regarding books covering Carter carburetors I found Dave Emanuel's Super Tuning And Modifying Carter Carburetors Performance, Street, And Off-Road Applications useful in dialing in the Thermoquad on my '71 Dodge van that I bought new and still have. Edelbrock's Performer Series Carburetor Owner'e Manual has a lot of very detailed information that I found helpful in calibrating the Performer carburetor on my street roadster. What do you think of that book?

People who are having idle quality problems with a Performer carburetor may well find the section on Idle Mixture helpful. The recommended procedure for idle mixture adjustment is one I'd never seen before and following it was helpful to me. It even mentions winter versus summer gas blends and how to deal with them.

People who have Rochester Carburetors would probably like Doug Roe's and David Fisher's book Rochester Carburetors Quadrajet, Two Barrels, Monojet, 4GC. It's not light reading however, being very detailed and technically oriented. It has a ton of excellent photos and information really useful to a non-mechanic like myself. Using that book to tweak the OEM Quadrajet on my son's 1978 El Camino with an RHS (A division of Competition Cams) 350 crate engine we got improved power and fuel economy and cooler running. Because rejetting the Quadrajet is not a quick process we have 2 carbs for that El Camino; one to run well with and one to pass the California "Smog Check". It's a lot quicker for us to change carbs than to change jets/metering rods in that Quadrajet .

Ray - I agree on the Doug Roe book, and highly recommend it. The other Rochester book is Q-Jets by Cliff Ruggles. I have read hundreds of carburetor books since 1958, and Cliff's book is number one in being "user-friendly".

I remember when the Emanuel book was scheduled to come out, ordered one, and eagerly anticipated its arrival. When it arrived, I sat down with it one evening, and read it cover to cover; AND THEN DEPOSITED IT INTO THE ROUND FILE!

Still looking for a really good book on Carter carburetors. But since I have all of the factory literature, I don't personally need it, just would like to be able to recommend one to others.

No comment on the e-clone book, as I have not read it, and do not intend to do so.

Jon.

Jon,

When it comes to carburetors "You da man" and I appreciate your insights here and on other forums.

Two things that have just about become extinct or are on the endangered species list at our shop are the SBC and the carburetor. Seems LS and fuel injection are the in buzz words right now. On older builds it seems to me that the Edelbrocks did not tolerate long periods of sitting in the barn as well as the Holleys with neither being great. I'd give the edge to the Edelbrock on ones in regular use but neither could carry the jock strap of a properly set up Quadrajet. There are two places 15 miles from me with zero ethanol gasoline and I do KNOW for sure it makes a difference on any carb.

I've had excellent results from QuadraJets, beginning with a new Buick in 1970, including the 1978 factory V6 turbo.
The one I found annoying is the ThermoQuad, since the secondary air valve is linked to the choke system and must be considered jointly.

Lots and lots of Edsel brocks ( ) in hotrods around here, including mine on a 74 350. The reason for so many of them is because every auto parts store have 600 or 650 CFM units on the shelf. Most of these vehicles are restomods or ratrods with plain Jane 350s, which are not hotrods at all (including my '49).
My heart was broken when I could not make a '66 vintage Carter AFB to work on my 350. It came from a Buick, and that carb will only work on a Buick manifold of that vintage (maybe Olds and Pontiac too). So I ran down to the local auto parts store and got me an e-clone. So far so good, I guess. Fuel mileage is not so good.
If and when it craps the bed, I will look into having a thin adapter plate machined to make the '66 carb work on my Chevrolet intake.
Carl

I'd take a pre emission design Qjet any day over an edelbrock AFB platform.

Carl - take a gander at the third line in my signature block!

Assuming your 350 is a Chevrolet, instead of trying to make a Buick carb with TOTALLY different fuel curve work on your 350; look for the Chevrolet version:

3721s if manual transmission
3720s if automatic transmission

To make the Buick version work well on a Chevy, you need to change:

(A) primary venturi clusters
(B) secondary venturi clusters
(C) primary metering jets
(D) secondary metering jets
(E) step-up rods
(F) step-up rod springs
(G) and unless you like secondary bog, especially the auxiliary air valve

Now take a gander at the second line in my signature block

Maybe you can find a Buick dude that is trying to make a Chevrolet AFB work on his Buick, with horrible results.

Jon.

Thank you Jon,
I should have prefaced my post with a disclaimer indicating that what I was trying to do was to accommodate a sentimental attachment to a carburetor from a Buick I once drove, regardless of how fruitless that may be. I guess I should end that romance and listen to what you suggested to me last year (as well as just now).
Ignorance is bliss, stupid can't be fixed. Now THAT should be my signature block.
Carl