new carbs

[RJP]

Well, unless it's for a WOT race engine, I've read many have the same 'lazy' issue with 850 DP's used on the street as other here have also noted. Bet a stock 750 DP'er would be noticeably better as would a worked one or a worked 950 (750 based) frrm one of the shops mentioned. Must have someting to do with the bowl/venturi area and even the air bleed sizes demanded by thta bowl's flow. BTW, heard the same long ago with the old Holley 3-barrel but methinks that was an issue with pure overcarbing a too small, too mild engine.

There is truth to that statement..I ran a 950 3bbl on a std. bore/stroke 427, a reproduction "D" cam, F 427 manifold in a V-drive Hondo flat. That carb was one of the best all around carbs I've ever run. Idled smooth @ 800 RPM, good low-mid range power and pulled well to 7K RPM with no bogs, hiccups, flat spots, lean outs or any other issues throughout the RPM range. 3bbls got a bad rap because "If big is good then more must be better" thinking. Usually they were installed on much smaller and/or milder engines. So your statement  of overcarbing an engine is very true. In a more friendly environment and properly built they were great carbs. The 3 3bbls I have [2 950s and a 1050] were due to people who couldn't get them to run right and gave up, lucky me...I usually got them for next to nothing or were free. 

[cjshaker]

According to everyones responses, if you want a new carb that is for a fairly mild street oriented type build (you know, 80+% of the builds out there, or at least outside this forum group), you're basically screwed. Or your only recourse is to purchase a new Holley and then spend another $300-$400 ungrading the metering blocks, boosters and metering plates, modify the carb bodies, buy a bunch of air bleeds, then spend a bunch of time calibrating, adjusting and guessing at what your combo needs.

Got it

This is why I hate company buy-outs!

[machoneman]

But if one buys a new carb from one of the mentioned Holley carb tuners/experts after giving them all the relevant engine/use details, they aren't really that much more. Besides, most can be plopped on and run like the devil!

According to everyones responses, if you want a new carb that is for a fairly mild street oriented type build (you know, 80+% of the builds out there, or at least outside this forum group), you're basically screwed. Or your only recourse is to purchase a new Holley and then spend another $300-$400 ungrading the metering blocks, boosters and metering plates, modify the carb bodies, buy a bunch of air bleeds, then spend a bunch of time calibrating, adjusting and guessing at what your combo needs.

Got it

This is why I hate company buy-outs!

[babybolt]

Carbs are getting into the price range where a person could buy one of the less expensive electronic fuel injection units.

[cjshaker]

But if one buys a new carb from one of the mentioned Holley carb tuners/experts after giving them all the relevant engine/use details, they aren't really that much more. Besides, most can be plopped on and run like the devil!

Point being, a carburetor shouldn't cost upwards of $800 or above. And everyone seems to be ok with the fact that Holley can't produce a carb that performs as good as the ones they made 50 years ago.

[machoneman]

Agree those prices have soared which is why good used carbs (see Drew!) have drawn a large following. There must be 10,000+ used Holleys just laying around the country waiting for a home somewhere. My cousin still has a heavily worked 4500 Holley I gave him years ago, like new, and formerly used on a 351C Pro Stock engine (bought 2 for IIRC $200 in 1978!). I'd take the  plunge on a good used Holley if the price was low.   

[Drew Pojedinec]

Well.... I can't speak for the big time carb tuners out there, who are in a totally different league than a hobbiest like myself.  I'm gone 6-8 months a year so obviously my experience is stunted due to this.

But I can buy a 750 dbl pumper for $100-$125
Strip it, make metering adjustable, rebuild, redye, and replate the carb so it looks like new.
Test it on an engine for any weirdness, go for a ride with the O2, make a few adjustments, and sell the carb for $400-$500 which is pretty close to what a brand new "mystery calibration" carb would cost.
It's far more depressing to have to do all this work to a carb that cost $600 new!
This is why I'm stockpiling old style Holley's with any money I make with this hobby.

I dunno, if it was me, I'd find someone willing to do that sorta work local to you and tune it on the engine.

[cjshaker]

I dunno, if it was me, I'd find someone willing to do that sorta work local to you and tune it on the engine.

Sorry for getting the OP off track.
I haven't had a problem that wasn't pretty easily solved on any older carb. I'll stick with them. I just wanted a new carb for the engine in my tow vehicle, but that's the last time I try that!