Four barrel

J

joe plumber

Well-known member
Anyone running a four barrel carbureator on a 53 flathead? I am thinking about removing my two 97's and installing a four barrel .
 
Yep i have ran a Holley four barrell on our 1949 Ford f100 for a few years , works like a champ! Also we have dynoed the engine and the truck more than once as we raced it on the salt in 2006 and the last two years at The Ohio ECTA speed track etc.
We run a 350 gear and a five speed , racing in forth gear however i drove the truck to louisville and back last year to a car show. Runs great in 5th gear at highway speeds.
The 390 Holley works very good right out of the box however the torque and hp drop off at higher rpm. For racing we use a bigger unit a 600 holley.
We have changed jets a few times but nothing drastic. Dyno sheet on present engine is 181 hp at 4300 rpm with the 600 holley.........
 
Thanks for the reply . I won't be doing any racing , just street driving .The engine has an Isky 77 cam and Offenhauser heads...Transmission is a c-4 and rear end is a10 bolt C ---y.
 
I ran a 390 cfm Holley on a '40 Tudor I once had. It ran well right out of the box. The engine was an 8ba with Offenhauser heads, intake and a mild cam. It made a good combination.
 
I also ran a 390 on my 8BA in my '35 slantback w/T5....really nice combo.
I just installed the carb and ran it out of the box.......
 
I had a 390 Holley on a 276"Merc in a '36 3-window. Worked great out of the box and was never any problem. I have no idea how much HP it made, but I do know I could break a rear axle almost at will on my "Traditional Hot Rod" (factory-style Ford drivetrain).

Right now, I am re-building both a WCFB ('54 Chrysler) and an early Rochester 4V ('53 Olds). I want to try them on my '51 Ford. I have both Edmunds and Fenton manifolds, so when I get done, I should be pretty experienced with these set-ups.
 
The nice thing in regards to the 390 for a street flathead is the over all adjutability. The vacuum secondary is perfect as is but can be really tuned by replacing the vacuum spring. The spring determines the load at which the four barrell comes in. I would suggest buying the vacuum part that allows spring changes without removing the diaphram and a spring assortment.
I run one of these on my on my sons 1918 dodge with a slant six as well, a couple springs and its perfect !!!!
 
Ran a Holley 390 for a while and it ran well right out of the box but when I decided to set it up with fuel efficiency in mind using an A/F meter I found it to be overly rich on the idle circuit and could not get it to idle slow enough ( auto ****** ) . Was told and also read that Holley uses the secondary circuit as part of the idle circuit in an effort to prevent fuel stagnation in the secondary bowl due to lack of use. I have since changed over to a used Edelbrock 1404 which I rebuilt and what a difference in tunability. Needless to say the 390 is now bringing enjoyment to someone else.
 
I run a 500 Edelbrock #9904, little too much out of the box for my 8BA, mildly worked, probably about 150 plus HP. had to go with the smallest jets and metering rods so it run smooth at lower rpm's and wouldn't keep fowling the plugs.Runs great with those mods. In hind sight with the experience I'd go with the Holley 390.
 
What is the difference in the Edelbrock 1404 and the 9904?

And

Is the Holley better for gas mileage than the Edelbrock?
 
I'm running an 8 bbl on my 276 street car, 40 coupe, T-5, and 3.50 9in., hot track cam, direct linkage, Accually 4-97s set up by Uncle Max, 18mpg on regular driving, 20 or better on the pike at 60mph, Spark plugs runs white. Walt
 
I think the Edelbrock 1404 is the best choice for the flathead as far as tuneability is concerned. You'll need the tuneup kit and an AF meter would help. Unfortunately they come with the #5 jet/rod setup which is very rich. The #11 is better but for our application the #8 has given the best mieage with out ruining the burn outs. But every application is different and the 390 is a good carb and in the right hands can be made to give good fuel mileabe. As they say "To each his own"
 
JimTn
I don't think the 390 was used on any car as an OEM carb. Aftermarket only. Filling a need, I suspect
 
BUBBAS IGNITION said:
The nice thing in regards to the 390 for a street flathead is the over all adjutability. The vacuum secondary is perfect as is but can be really tuned by replacing the vacuum spring. The spring determines the load at which the four barrell comes in. I would suggest buying the vacuum part that allows spring changes without removing the diaphram and a spring assortment.
I run one of these on my on my sons 1918 dodge with a slant six as well, a couple springs and its perfect !!!!
Click to expand...

Where does one purchase the vacuum part that allows spring changes without removing the diaphragm ?
 
jimTN said:
What did the 390 come on to begin with?
Click to expand...

The original #0-6299 390 CFM came out as a street/competition carb in the late '70s/early '80s for 4 cylinder Pintos and Vegas. This one has a special float and reversed power valve to prevent high speed vibration common on the 4s. Part # 0-8007 390 should be used on 6s and small 8 cylinder engines.

joe plumber said:
Where does one purchase the vacuum part that allows spring changes without removing the diaphragm ?
Click to expand...

Part # 20-59 quick change vacuum secondary diaphragm housing cover can be purchased at most speed shops along with Jegs and Summit.
 
Have run a 8007 with a Max 1 cam and headers on mine for over 25 years. 8BA .40 over.
Has run perfect from day one.
 
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