The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Carter vs Rochester Carburetor

I have a 1954 235 engine and am wondering which Carburetor I should run on it. I have the original Carter that was on the original 216 and it ran very nice, but I also have a Rochester that has the same size throttle base. Does one offer more performance than the other? Better gas mileage etc? Thanks for any info and advice in advance.

Heres a picture of the Carter and the Rochester that has the same throttle body bore. The Rochester on the right has a bigger bore throttle body, but upon cleaning it out, found it to be too dirty unfortunately, because im sure it would have had better performance. It came off of a 1960 (235) the other Rochester came off of a later model 216 thus the same bore. I will have to change the intake manifold also.

Rochesters are generally not known to be quality units.
Carter and Zenith are known as much better quality "upgrades" from a Rochester, as long as you confirm that the carb matches the engine that it should be on.
There should be several much more experienced stovebolters along here very shortly to fill you in properly.

If you have a 235 and it is the 1954 model, you can either use the Rochester (made for the 235) or you could do much better with either a Carter 2100s (manual choke) or a Carter 2101s (automatic choke). The Carter (or the Rochester) made for the 216 could be used if you use the 216 manifold on your 235, but either of those were designed specifically for a lower power engine and won't exactly shine on the 235. Good luck.

Thanks for the input Jon. I wonder if someone can answer this question. I recently read that the 261 had their own Rochester Carburetor with a wider throttle body than the regular 235's Carb. One of these that I have (the 1960's Carb) has a wider throttle body. Is that because its from a 261, or is that simply because in the later years they just went for the bigger throttle body even on 235's? Im wondering if I should practice rebuilding this one, or if its worth sending it to a professional? (it would be my first carb rebuild)

The number on the carb can tell you what engine it was originally installed on.

e.g. My carb number is 7015013 which is supposed to be a carb for a 1960 truck with a 261.

Heres the numbers I could find on it. If it is a Carb from a 261, and I can rebuild it, would it in theory give a little more performance than the 235 Rochester Carb? Would it really be noticeable?

By the looks of it, it seems to be just a regular Rochester for a 235. It had so much junk in the bowl im surprised it idled so nicely, I was even able to move the car around with the carb on. But definitely needs to be rebuilt.

The fact it still has the tag is surprising. If it isn't weeping/leaking at the point where the air horn/float bowl meet, I think I'd clean it well, rebuild it and use it. Please pay particular attention to the power piston. Once that gets stuck the thing will run horribly rich...which can make one seem to idle nicely. Good luck. Contact the other Jon (CarbKing) if you need the right carburetor kit for it. Since you have the tag and number, he'll be able to help you straightaway.

7013029 - found in 1959 trucks with 235.

You can get a carb kit at your local auto parts store. Instructions in the last kit I bought were poor but there are better instructions and some helpful videos on the 'net. Search this site to find links.

Thanks for the info guys. Appreciate it