best carb for a 383 stroker

Just got my '68 Camaro back from my engine builder, I had a 383 stroker built, w/flat top pistons, dyno'd last week at 347 hp. Right now it has an Edelbrock carb on it, my mechanic didn't have much luck getting it set right when running under a load, this carb was new in 2003 but it also ran flat (on acceleration and midrange rpms) on the 350 I had it on, so I'm not real happy with it.

I'm thinking about purchasing a different carb, what would be the smoothest running carb for a 383? I'm not interested in racing, just smooth idle and accelaration. Years ago I had a Rochester Quadrajet on a 327 (275hp) Camaro, it ran great, it just took off on acceleration. Is that the way to go, or is a Holley carb a better investment?

Thanks everyone--

Terry

Reply to
Terry
Loading thread data ...

Go with a Barry Grant if you want to go with a holley style carb. Nice to look at sitting on top of the motor and will perform better than a Holley. As for sizing... When calling up the parts house tell them what you have, c.i., rpm range, compression ratio, cam specs, what the main use of the car will be, etc, and they will be better able to come up with the appropriate size and type for your application.

...Ron

--

68' Camaro RS 88' Firebird Formula 00' Mustang GT Vert
Reply to
RSCamaro

accelaration.

Afreind of mine has a 71 Camaro with a Dart head, roller cam 383 that runs

11.80s on a cool night. Even with a converter it's a very smooth daily driver. We both run Holley 750 mechanical secondary double pumpers with Proform center sections. I just picked up another Holley on Ebay for $150 bucks. A center section is $99 and I add clear sight plugs, 5/16 hex head bowl screws and a jet extension/float for the rear bowl. Total cost with a good score on Ebay runs around $300. Check the Proform website for the carbs that will work with the 750 center section.

Dave

Reply to
poncho462

Ron, tell me a little more about the Barry Grant. What about buying a new carb vs. finding one on Ebay and rebuilding, like Dave says....years ago I did rebuild a Holley carb, never could get the damn thing working right though....

Terry

Reply to
Terry

I'm not a carb guy and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night either. :-) There are others better suited to answer that question on the group.

I put a Demon 750 VS on top of my 350 with a late 2nd gen Z28 intake on top. I set the 4 corner idle screws and that was pretty much it. I don't see it being hard to rebuild one, it's mainly a matter of getting everything clean and replacing gaskets. BG sends a video with new Demons. I'm sure that once I complete my little project on my 68' I'm going to want to get it as clean running as I can. What I'm planning on doing is either manufacturing or buying a led LED combustion anylizer. That will help me with getting the correct jetting.

...Ron

--

68' Camaro RS 88' Firebird Formula 00' Mustang GT Vert
Reply to
RSCamaro

I'll have to look up the Demon series, I'm not a carb person either (although I'd like to learn). Price is a factor for me but really it's to the point that I have so much invested in this car, I want to get it running well no matter what! I now have a special file cabinet for car receipts that my wife CANNOT see, ever.

To me, since I use the car as a daily driver, smooth running is more important than high end efficiency, so that's what I have in mind for a carb choice...my mechanic tuned my car this week so that it idles fine, accelerates well enought to drive it, and he offered to fine tune this Edelbrock once the snow is gone (Wisconsin) and he can drive the car and adjust it under load conditions...if that works I'll stick w/ the Edelbrock, otherwise I'll consider a Demon series carb. Another factor is that the engine has no miles on it, except for the Dyno last week, so I think it'll run differently once it has a few hundred miles on it--

Terry

Reply to
Terry

I do watch Ebay, I'm a little spooked about buying something used that has lots of moving parts....

Terry

Reply to
Terry

The first thing I'd do is to go and get a how to rebuild Edelbrock Carbs or a test and tune Edelbrock book and learn how they work. It's easier to tune carbs with knowledge rather than guess work.

...Ron

--

68' Camaro RS 88' Firebird Formula 00' Mustang GT Vert
Reply to
RSCamaro

Check Edelbrock's website, used to be able to download the carb manuals from there. Tuning kits are pretty cheap, they come with jets, metering rods and power circuit springs. If you decide to try to tune it (these are easy to work on) take a good look at the small screws that hold the power springs in place. They are fairly easy to break and only have to be loosened enough to rotate the cover out of the way.

Two things I don't like about the AFBs is they are prone to flooding under hard cornering (it can be fixed though) and the rear air valves are pretty much non-adjustable. Holleys, Demons and even quadrajets are more tunable but if you're not looking to wring the last tenth out of the car, you should be able to get satisfying results out of the Edelbrock.

Dave

Reply to
poncho462

I will definitely see if I can get the Edelbrock carb working right before abandoning it--

thanks for the advice!

Terry

Reply to
Terry

When it comes to Core or rebuildible units. You can buy them all day on Ebay. Holley and other companies make every part needed to rebuild and repair a holley type carb. Yet you do need a core to start with. Charles

Reply to
Charles Bendig

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.