Both SBF and FE 6V Linkage(GM language is Tripower) is nearly the same. Specifically the two individual shafts which fit between the center carburetor and each outboard carburetors are identical and are adjusted exactly identical whether a SBF or FE.
When laid out next to each other many people think they are identical but they are not.
There is a short and long shaft. You can tell the short shaft by looking at the round barrel part of the linkage. The one with the short barrel is the short shaft.
As you found out, the SBF and FE 6V will work in general fine when these shafts are reversed but not the way that the Ford and Holley Engineers designed the Ford 6V linkage to work.
The short shaft goes forward and long shafter goes aft. Short goes forward, long goes aft.
Adjusting these pieces is simple and easy when position correctly.
Put the short shaft on leaving the adjustment nut loose and open the center carburetor to Wide Open Throttle(WOT) and at the same time open the forward carburetor to WOT, attach both ends to the carburetors and adjust the length so that when the center carb gets to WOT the forward carburetor is also WOT by insuring the linkage arm is adjusted to allow it.
Once you have adjusted the forward carburetor repeat this for the aft carburetor insuring the center and after carbs are at WOT and the linkage arm adjusted to insure this position.
Once adjusted, tighten the lock nuts and finish the installation of your linkage.
It is as simple as this.
The FE 6V setup is exactly the same regarding these two linkage pieces, although the cross shaft is forward and has an straight rod between the center carb and crossover linkage which should be adjusted to 7 1/8 inches.
The SBF and FE 6V Holley 2300 carburetors all look identical, but there are five sets of 6V carburetors(all flow different total CFMs with the exception of two of the three FE setups which are identical at 1030CFM)) which Ford offered from 1961 through 1964/65 for the SBF and FE. Two sets for the SBF and three sets for the FE.
Whoever commented originally about Joe Bunetic is quite right. He is the Guru of all Ford multiple carburetors especially 6V stuff.
Because of some of your questions mentioned in this thread, I ended up writing a technical book in 1991, since unlike the FE 6V, Ford never wrote any technical information about the SBF 6V setup other than offering a diagram for people who bought these setups across the counter and presumed they would consult some of the formal FE 6V information published associated with the 1961-1863 Ford Thunderbird and 1964 Galaxie Shop Manuals.
If you have other questions drop me an email and certainly take advantage of the website at @ford6vcarburetion dot com .
For the record, I personally own a SBF 289 Buddy Barr setup which I ran on my old roadster, a FE 2436/2437 List 6V which I run on my '66 Ford Fairlane GT 390 and a ultra rare Ford 429 SCJ 6V intake(Buddy Barr) and carburetion (List 4782/4783s) on my '38 Willys with a BB Ford. I have known and exchanged with Joe since Holley referred me to him in 1987 when i called the Holley tech folks hoping to find some tech information on the SBF 6V. Their answer was call this "Joe Guy" in St Louis and gave me his phone number........Many of his inside baseball Ford 6V tips are incorporated my tech book...Much of the inside baseball can be found in old articles including the 1961-63 Ford Thunderbird Supplementary Shop Manual, 1964 Ford Galaxie Shop Manual and various short notes from a variety of periodicals of the early 1960s.....
I have included five illustrations from my tech book which help visualize the linkage issue here.........mgb
