Hi all, I’m on here trying to help my 80 yr. old father in law out. He has a 1966 327/300hp A/T, I believe to be stock Holley carb and he’s pretty dead set on switching it to an Edelbrock. He’s had great success with the Edelbrock that is on his ‘61 Corvette. His ‘66 Holley is leaking fuel into the oil (I’m guessing floats are sticking and needs rebuilt, but he’d rather replace with Edelbrock. Looking for suggestions on which Edelbrock carb to purchase and other accessories to buy to complete the change out because I know it won’t be a plug and play. I do know we’ll have to wire up electric choke. He was also wanting to use current stock air cleaner and wasn’t sure if possible or how to make that happen or if not, which one to purchase? Thanks in advance for any help!

 

Tell him that is a down grade and send that carb off to someone who knows what they are doing and it will run better then any other carb will do and you won’t have to bubba anything

 

Welcome to the CF. I can't name a rebuilder, but I'm sure some other CF member will post that information. Changing will require other modifications. Dennis

 

A few observations from someone with limited, but experience reaching back a ways. Getting your Holley fixed by a pro will be the best - however..... You are dealing with an overrated component. They have issues and the company itself seems to be one of the issues. The on line and written materials are 2nd rate and they seem to ignore some continuous issues they've had for years. Holleys leak fuel and are over sensitive to junk on the needles and seats. An older Holley has no hole where the Holley gaskets HAVE a hole, causing a potential leak which they seem oblivious to fix or even mention. The various gasket types under the bowl bolts speaks to a system that leaks so much that you need numerous optional designs to crutch a problem. Warped metering blocks can be chalked up to improper repairs in past years, but the design itself makes this fault worse than it could be (not idiot proof enough - a better design should be more resistant to bad repair). Now these Holleys were the choice for the best motors in the old days, but if you had no other choice, you can't strut around like you just won a medal. I goofed around with some Weber clones (made in Japan) and they were no prize either, and a Holley would be a better carb, but the English Strombergs weren't too bad. I'd bet the C2's with AFB's in pre '65 days have fewer carb problems than the Holley boys.

 

I use a local rebuilder in Tampa. He has a flow bench, milling machine and a lathe. He has parts galore and has been doing this for well over 50 years. PM me if you are interested. Also, check the fuel pump. If gas is in the oil, it could be the carb or a leaky diaphragm in the fuel pump. If you can smell the gas in the oil, it's time to change the oil and filter. Jerry

 

It is a downgrade and even though I have used Edelbrock carbs on many projects, I really don’t like them particularly on performance engines. That said, this is a 300hp 327 engine with a powerglide. A nice cruiser, but not a real performance combo. If his mind is set, the 1406 is the go to for this engine, just please save the original carb.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/edl-1406

 

My suggestion is to have the original Holley overhauled by someone that will mill and flatten all the surfaces, install bushings in the throttle body etc. The car will run flawlessly.

 

Eric Jackson rebuild my original Holley carb and I've had zero issues. Eric does a great job with a quick turn around time in my opinion.