air cleaner

73 grand torino sport 351 cj,is the factory air cleaner better on a 600cfm holley or open face?

I was told the open face wasn't good for the finicky holley and should go back to factory.

like i said if the lid sits too close to the vent tube it can meter funny, i don't remember what holley recommends, i would say minimum 1/2" inch or more. the only other problem with an open/paper element would be if it got wet in the rain that would choke the carb and it wouldn't run right (been there )

"fireballs" ... sounds like speaking from experience? ...

the style on the right (low profile) those are junk! IMO

on the single top? yeah a lot of guys don't like them at all

maybe cuz they burn like a foam sheet soaked in gas?

I've never run it, got it in a box with some other stuff... somewhere

for some reason there was no foam with it

gotta watch the specifics on how they tested to get the cfm ratings on various manufacturers carbs, they all used different settings on their test equipment so the number they came up with needs to be interpreted / adjusted to compare

Not in my openion if you have the big valve cylinder heads with the large ports. The flow rates i gave out cam fron a note on a page in the original Ford parts book of 1972. You will lose some economy with the 800 that is why Ford used the spread bore carb with vacuum secondaries. All of the 73 CJ motors i have seen had the smaller valver and have a differend part number for the valves so i remember. I no longer have my original parts book. But i am looking for another now. Mine was taken in a break in for some reason. Don't know why they took those. I would also think about your present gearing, it might be to tall for a really large carb. But then it depends on what you are doing with the car. Remember the rule, More air, mlore fuel, more spark to low compression meand knock. Then you start detuning. It is your call. I guess what i am trying to say is  "it depends on what you are doing with the car".  Hope i hhavent confused you to much. Be glad to chat on phone if you think i can help.

It's also bored 30thousand and has a cam.

just found a link somewhere else regarding carb flow cfm's



Edited by Rockatansky - 04-March-2014 at 6:37AM

73torino gt wrote: 73 grand torino sport 351 cj, is the factory air cleaner better on a 600cfm holley or open face?

I was told the open face wasn't good for the finicky holley and should go back to factory.

So would a 800 cfm edelbrock be too much?

My father had the motor rebuilt and then it sat for 15 years. He doesn't have the build sheet for it so I'm in the dark. just got it on the road again. I know he put an aluminum intake on it a stall torque converter, put a kit in the tranny. I just don't care for the holley carb at all. I'm not going to race it, but I want to melt rubber when necessary.

It's also bored 30 thousandths and has a cam.

Thanks for the info, so I should definitely get rid of the 600cfm holley I got now cause its starving for fuel.

trying to refocus here, apparently you don't like Holley carbs for some reason? and I'm not quite sure how you came the conclusion (right or wrong) that you need a larger carb than the 600 Holley you have now?

air filter style is a personal choice, as long as the carb operation is not hindered by the filter it's a just a personal choice. the filter element needs to have enough capacity to filter at least as much air as the engine can use, not all do.

Holley's can be 'finicky' if they haven't been but need to be tuned to an application, but the same can be said for any make carb. altitude/atmospheric pressure, temperature, fuel blend/specific gravity and probably more factors can all be 'on the ragged edge' of tuning with an out-of-the-box carb. combine them all on any given day & you have finicky. not everybody has the knowledge much less desire to tear down a new carb & start redrilling restrictions, or plugging them & starting over if need be to correct the manufactured calibrations from the ragged edge to where the uncontrollable outside variations remain within tolerance... just not some guy's cup of tea & that's OK

the new design Holleys have all their adjustments threaded so the home tuner can ~easily~ make changes. easily being repeatedly tearing into the carb, re-assembling & adjusting it each time you make a change. still maybe not so easy, or fun?

Edelbrock... they tend to run 'lighter' than Holleys. they can run good, but never make as much power as a Holley, just the way it is. Edelbrocks are much more easily tuned if needed. conventional style Holley's have to come apart to change jets & power valves, about the only things you can change on them are the squirters & pump cams from the outside. Edelbrocks being completely different design you can change the jets(if you have to) with the carb still on the manifold without spilling fuel. the (if you have to) is because it's very unusual to have to. Eddy's use a spring, metering rod AND a jet, the metering rod are easily changed from the outside

is an Eddy 800 right or too much? I don't think we know enough about your combo to say

you don't know what cam is in it, that's a BIG point. how bout the rear gear? is the stall converter very noticeable in normal driving?

there's a lot more to being a tire fryer or not than the carb & air cleaner!

what is it about the driveability of the car that makes you think you need to change the carb?

Never forget Cousin Vinny's 1st rule of carb rebuilding

Edited by Rockatansky - 06-March-2014 at 6:25AM

To add fuel to the fire..

Very good info fellas,would getting it dyno machined help me figure out if I need a bigger carb?