Edelbrock performer manifold/carb/cam kit

Trav, if i was going to do anything to that engine and i had the money, this kit would be the way to go. i didn't seen the specs for the camshaft, but i am assuming (uh-oh!) that since they say that it's range is idle to 5500, that thing ought to rock in a jeep. i bet it has a real wide lobe seperation angle, something like

114-116 or so and a real short duration - 220° @ .050. at least these are the specs i would shoot for if i was in jeep-engine-4x4-torquemonster-build-mode. 8~)>

i just tried edelbrock's site to find some more info on that cam and all i could find was the cam lift. hmm...

i don't have any personal experience with that specific kit, but i installed a similar kit on a chrysler 318 a few years ago. the torque increase was very impressive. i think the gains on that 318 would have been a lot more drastic if the owner had a little deeper pockets for a full rebuild.

now for my opinion: buy the kit. you can not go wrong with a matched package like that. it takes the guess work out of it and keeps you from thinking, "maybe i should've used that other cam with this intake..."

-- bob z.

"people with less brain power than you are doing more difficult things everyday"©

Travis,

I have installed a number of these on small block Chevys, and they are hard to beat. You will love the way it runs after. However be careful, the Edelbrock carb isn't the greatest choice for extreme off road use, or for that matter most off road use that involves any angles at higher elevations.

I would see if Edelbrock makes a spreadbore manifold for the 304, and run a GM Quadrajet. Not my favorite carb either, but they work very well off road. RR

L.W. (ßill) Hughes III did pass the time by typing:

Got to agree with Bill on this. My C-10 Chevy had the rochester quadrasuck. The only thing it was good for is teaching me how to repair/rebuild carbs.

Things went better after I figured out the charcoal canister was barfing into the carbs vac lines.

On Fri, 24 Oct 2003 15:03:24 -0700, L.W.(ßill) Hughes III shared the following:

Why did you make an awesome roar when the secondaries opened?

*chuckle*

trouble is

-- Travis

meek shall inherit the earth. After I'm finished with it.:wq!

L.W. (ßill) Hughes III did pass the time by typing:

That was the fuel being sucked into oblivion. :)

Properly tuned (and kept that way) it didn't do too bad. Problem was it never stayed properly tuned.

The quadrajets aren't bad when they work. the biggest drawback to them is the well plugs found on the bottom of the carb. These things were pressed in from the factory. These are notorious for leaking. The companies that make carb kits put a little black sponge thing in the kit, which installed in the cavity were these plugs are. All that did was soak the gas up, but it enough leaked out , the vehicle would become flooded after sitting for a few hours. The fix is to epoxy over these plugs. As far as Bill's comments on the secondaries, he's right. The carbs were almost always set up too lean on the secondaries, or the air valve was improperly adjusted. These can both be combated by tuning, but any quadrajet is going to be at least 20 years old.

Although they are a bit more pricey, I would look at the Barry Grant Demon carb. Your 304 would run great with the 525 CFM model sitting on top of that performer intake. I've used a few of these carbs and they are the best thing going IMO. You can read about them here:

My opinion on the Edelbrock kit is that it is good, but they offer one camshaft. Personally I would select the cam kit separately, but use it with their manifold. Their cam is a bit bigger than I would recommend for a Jeep because they spend a lot of their time idling along and running at relatively low RPM as compared to, say a Javelin. I browsed through a few of my favorite cam company's sites, and I feel the Crower 45239 would be more suited for use in an off road vehicle. You can look at the specs here:

Their cam has a bit less duration and a wider lobe separation, so you'll get a wider powerband than the Edelbrock cam, but at a slightly lower RPM range. In the end this will cost a bit more than the kit from Edelbrock, but you'll be much happier with it in the long run.

Another note on the carb. A lot of people would say to use a bigger carb, but your 304 at 5500 RPM only needs 411CFM of air at 85% volumetric efficiency, which is a general figure for a factory engine with the usual bolt ons.

When you get to headers, try to avoid using the shorty style if at all possible. They do nothing for low RPM torque. Look for a set with 1-1/2 or, at the most 1-5/8" primary tube diameter, and look for a tube length of

28-31". This will give you more torque than the shorties will. If you have any questions about your cam, let me know.

Chris

The power valve issue isn't an issue anymore with the Holleys. All of their new ones have a check valve installed in the vacuum port from the baseplate to the power valve. There is also a kit to add this to the older carbs for $9. As for the double pumper, they are all but useless on the street and would be even worse off road. They are calibrated totally different than the vacuum carbs and will run rich at any part throttle opening without some serious recalibrations. It is more than jet changes, there are power valve and idle circuit mods that have to be done. Another point to be made too, an

850 carb on a small block is too big unless you are drag or oval track racing.

Chris

Bill.

You need to realize that I am a very fast drag racer, AND a Jeep driver. I know what you are saying. If I could just get off my butt and put one of the race motors in the Jeep, and tow everything to Glamis (MH - Jeep - trailer, Etc) you and I would have a ball doing Olds,Comp hill, Etc. The winner will depend on ice chest weight. :)

However, all I am saying is that for the average wanna be rock crawler, a Q-Jet is probably the cheapest way out for these types of problems. Yes, an

850 DP is the way to go. Just not in a slow situation.

I haven't been to the Imperial in years. I am tempted to get it all together and meet you for a trip.

You ready?? (I'll run cooler than you. :))

RR

Fair enough. I'll try it again. I have a 3310 laying around that is dying for a rebuild. I'll let you know what happens, but it may be until next March or so until I get a chance to get back to the Sierras for a trail test. But, I will try it.

What part of the dunes do you usually go to? 78 end 8 End?

Glamis? Buttercup? Ogilby?

Bill,

Are the float vent tubes the only problem with the Holley off-road?

I've been playing with some brake-line to connect the vents, but the hose is a better idea. I'm trying to make a Holley 4160 600CFM on top of a chevy 350 (stock) work in a CJ7. Last trip (the first real off-road trip) I had to gently lowered of a slope when the engine died om me. I have a Quadrajet laying around as well, but that one has to be rebuild, all the little thingy-parts are toast.

Thom.