The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop Holley vs Edelbrock

I mentioned before that the TPI gremlins had struck me again and I'm getting tired of trying to figure out what wrong so I've about decided to simplify thingd and go back to a carb. I've used the Edelbrock Performer before and liked it pretty well but I've come across a freshly rebuilt Holley 600 for a good price that I'm comsidering purchasing.
Anyone have any preferances between the two?

Robert,
My 52 came with a Holley 650 on it..it ran OK when I got it but after 2 yrs settin on the shelf why I rebuilt the truck I put it on an all heck broke loose ...fuel leakin an such ..so I got a rebuild kit and replaced all the gaskets,power valve ..an such ..but after a month of frustration and cursin ...tryin my heart out to get it tuned properly I gave up and got a new Edelbrock carb followed Vics install CD ...hit the key an the ol 52 was purrin like a gem.
She runs well gets good mileage and so far has been a great carb.
So I am just a bit turned of on the Holleys ..a bud down the road that races dirt track bought my rebuilt Holley of me for a few bucks for parts an was happy with the purchase but he likes to tinker...lol
So my review of ease of tuning and general streetabilty ...I would not hesitate to go with another Edelbrock.
just my 2 pennies.
Tim

Be sure to install a fuel pressure regulator as part of the swap. Unless you swap out the fuel pump as part of the conversion, you'll never be able to avoid flooding with the original in-tank pump. No carbureted engine needs fuel pressure above 4-6 pounds.
Jerry

I have an Edelbrock Performer on my '78 K25 GMC. It's a good carburetor except for the fact that the throttle linkage is cheaply made, and in the 2 years I've had it on there, it has worn a flat spot, which causes my throttle to stick every now and then. My brother has a 2-barrel Holley on his '67 International Pickup, and hasn't had any problems. If I had to do it again, I would probably get a Holley.

I would recommend neither. Get a quad and have a good carb. Holley's are for racing and have poor streetability. Also, if one ever backfires, the power valve will need to be replaced, every time. I've had my fill of Holley and won't ever run one again,
Scott

A good rebuildable quad is darn near impossible to find any more - Otherwise, I might run them as well.


And Scott, Holley has that old problem fixed for quite some time now. I run a couple of them and have good luck. darn old guys....

i ran a Holley 600 on my 46 1/2 ton with a 350 and it ran good. The Holley is a good carb for racing but does need a little bit of tinkering from time to time on the street.I now have a Barry Grant Street Demon 525 CFM on it and it runs even better. I have heard the Edelbrock is a great carb also but i have never used one. The choice is yours.

Mike

You just opened the biggest can o' worms since Chevy vs. Furd.

If I were buying new, I'd go Edelbrock, they run right out of the box.

If I'm getting one from the junkyard, I'd go Holley. Every single part is available at any parts store, and if you need to rebuild and tune it anyway, Holley's easier than Edelbrock. +1 the power valve problem has been fixed for years.

I'm still kind of partial to quadrajets, like the earlier poster. But they're expensive new, and they're not all that tuneable.

Edelbrock out of the box NEVER again.

Had three of em first only one side was working Rite out of the box. 2nd one leaked like the titanic.
The third one was ok never got any MPG out of it but it always ran.

I like Qjets and Hollys best MPG will be a Q jet Put a kit in em make sure thre clean and set the float level and you will be pretty dang good.

Hollys are good but more for perfomance and They can be tuned anyway you want them So easy a Caveman can do it.


Alot of peoples problem are self enduced Like putting a pencil in the choke butterfly and then blaming the carb for non running right.

Learn how to set the choke and then re learn to set it.

I just wish i could get a polished Q jet.

Jaime

Since I have been into collecting older vehicles,I have had several with Edlebrock carbs.Never had a problem with them,my 55 2nd series is running a built 350 with a 600 Edlebrock and it runs like a dream.

What makes an out-of-the-box carburetor run properly?

Luck.

To steal a quote from a movie: "The harder I work, the 'luckier' we get."

I think Edelbrocks are just tuned more for street engines with decent vacuum and normal driving conditions. They aren't tuned perfectly for anything, but they're good enough for most. That's how I've come to look at them. And I really think that's how they want to be seen, which is why there isn't a whole lot you can do to tune them.

Actually, Edelbrocks are more tunable than Holleys, with much better variable settings like metering rods, vacuum piston spring rates, and accelerator pump adjustments. It just takes a little bit of equipment and knowledge to do it right. Neither Edelbrock nor Holley is a suitable substitute for a factory-engineered carburetor that's been set up for the engine in question. Once compression, displacement, cam timing, or port/manifold shape has been altered, all bets are off. At the very least, a 4-gas exhaust analyzer and a few more pieces of test equipment are needed to check out whether the mixture, power valve setting, etc. are correct. After some time on the road, fuel mileage and spark plug condition can be pretty good indicators of a correct carb setup. On a dyno run, I've gotten as much as a 20 HP increase just by a jetting change.
Jerry

I have owned many collector cars and trucks with the Edelbrock carbs.Never had any problems.

well holleys are like the harleys of the carb world they look great and rep wise will always win, but you will spend most of your time keeping them tuned the edelbrocks are almost a install and forget operation

demon carbs are very tuneable, but not for the beginner. i would pick demon over holley. If you're not familiar with carb tuning get an edelbrock...they usually will run out of the box.

Let's not start bad mouthing Harleys now Daniel.
Some of us may take it as personal as you might take a verbal assault on '39 Chevy 3/4 tons.

lol not bad mouthing them at all rather push a harley than ride a rice burner

What do you do when your Harley stops leaking oil?

Same thing as a Stovebolt- - - - -pour some more in- - - - - -it's empty!


Jerry

You know, there are some reasonable alternatives to either.

Since most here play with trucks, one could hire a 15-year-old to stand on the truck running board, and pour fuel into the engine from a leaky boot

Jon.

I'm planning to run a Quadrajet on my current project. I have several of the later ones, just before they started putting wires to them, and were designed for the motors I plan to run.

I've gone ahead and bought both the book Rochester Carburetors by Doug Roe and How to Rebuild and Modify Rochester Quadrajet Carburetors by Cliff Ruggles. I know a couple of books won't assure me no problems with these carbs, but my overview of the books suggests to me that these carbs are extremely adjustable and that many of the problems people complain about come from a short list of easily corrected wear areas.

Unfortunately my life has forced my projects to move real slow and I now doubt I'll have a rebuilt Q-Jet on a runner in 2010 so it may be a while before I can confirm my assumptions or be forced to admit defeat.

This is obviously a post on V8's, as I don't think Edelbrock makes a carb small enough for a 235 or even a 292. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

John

I saw one on a 292 Sunday. He claimed it works great. I have my doubts.

The Holley 390 cfm is popular on the inlines,
Scott

I did read a couple posts about the Holley 390. But, with so many guys bashing Holley, I was curious to hear about any other small four barrels.
So far, Holley is the only one that I know of.

John

a 600 cfm will work fine on a inline bad a few decades ago it was fairly common

lol back a few decades ago i mean "its late" dam typo demons

You could try finding the Carter WCFB that was original equipment on a 265 Chevy V-8, but they're about as scarce as a chicken with lips!
Jerry

I got a couple of those chickens with lips! They are on my Corvette engine.

It was easy to spot those 2-4BBL 265's- - - - -they usually had two burned spots in the hood right above the carbs!
Jerry

Since I've had good luck in the past with the Edelbrock I think I'll stick with that. Will look into the 1406. I think 600 cfm should be plenty big enough. However, I'm gonna put everything on hold for awhile. I was diagnosed with prostate cancer yesterday and I need to focus on getting rid of it.

Robert;

I wish you the best with the treatment of your Prostate cancer. There are many effective treatments and there are also jillions of success stories. Everyone of us older 'Bolters should get a PSA test to establish a baseline PSA level and retest annually to watch for this silent killer.

Good Luck;

SimS

Robert,

I'd go with what you're familiar with. Most carb's will work 'out of the box' but will never run 'perfect'. Personally, i thnk once you've tuned and jetted a carb for your motor, you'll never bolt one on out the box ever again. Big difference. You can either set it up yourself, or have it sent to somebody to be tuned probably by a speed shop. Holley has a nice DVD that walks you through setup when you purchase a new carb I believe. Having said that, I have used both and like the edelbrock. I got 4 years out of mine before I had to rebuild it, they're basically a carter carb. The holley's are a little more tricky, but still not as finicky as a weber, so it's all relative. The holley's have a tendency to leak because their bowls are side mounted and fuel always sit in the the gasket. If your truck sits a lot, they will ivariably leak. These new ethanol blended fuels are murder on plastics and gaskets. My edelbrock had issues with jet's plugging and gaskets leaking too, just not fuel leaking, so they all have their own demons. Pick the carb that you know unless you want to learn a new and mess with a new one, which can be fun too! Once you tear down a holley, it's not that scary.

Good luck with the Cancer, we'll have you in our prayers.