Best Carter 4 Barrel Carburetor for a stock 273?

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Bossanova5

Bossanova5

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What is the best choice all around Carter 4-barrel carb for a stock 66 273 with stock exhaust manifolds and an Edelbrock LD4B intake manifold?
Thanks in advance.
 
I like the AVS2 500 for a standard 273 or the 650 for a commando. You will like the annular boosters when you put your foot into it down low.
 
Although a Carter clone, the Edelbrock AVS2 would be my choice with it's annular boosters, if you can get past that shiny look
 
4eighteener said:
Although a Carter clone, the Edelbrock AVS2 would be my choice with it's annular boosters, if you can get past that shiny look
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At least you can pop that hideous badge right off!

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Carter only?
500 cfm Competition Series.
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Next up would be a stock 340 AVS, or the 600/625 C.S., especially if you're going to run anything more than a stock cam.
Eddy and Holley would give you more and newer choices. Good Carter cores are getting harder to find.
 
I have an old competition series carter on a 400 in my rat rod. It works better than any edlebrock ive ever had. I think they messed something up when they put that shiny coating on them. Stay away from the 750 eddys, Ive had a few of those new and used... every one had an off idle lean spot that wont go away no matter what ive tried.
 
Bossanova5 said:
What is the best choice all around Carter 4-barrel carb for a stock 66 273 with stock exhaust manifolds and an Edelbrock LD4B intake manifold?
Thanks in advance.
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My original carb was worn out and I put on a 600 Edelbrock with electric choke. Probably 10 years ago and it has been flawless. It was almost new bought at a swap meet for $100
 
Bossanova5 said:
What is the best choice all around Carter 4-barrel carb for a stock 66 273 with stock exhaust manifolds and an Edelbrock LD4B intake manifold?
Thanks in advance.
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Whatever I have on the shelf.
I sureaschit wouldn't buy a new one for that combo., especially if it is running 2.76 type rear gears.
Instead, I would put a 2800 convertor in the Bellhouse, lol.
 
The 650 AVS and 600 AFB may be a tick rich, but easily tuned and can be tuned again later if you make upgrades.
 
I think everybody missed the 'stock' bit.
Edel 500 AFB #1404
 
MidnightSwinger said:
What?!?! Choke? We don’t need no stinking choke. This is California.
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That’s what I was saying until it was 41 degrees and I was pressed for time early in the morning but couldn’t get the damn thing to idle.

Holley VS with electric choke was a good deal. Makes life easier. Start and 10 seconds later pull away like it has efi.
 
To the OP
At the BEST of times, an engine such as yours with a 4bbl, might gain perhaps up to ~10%; so, on a 180hp engine, you might expect 18hp; but yur not gonna get it all, whatever that is, until the engine is wound up to the power-peak. The hp increase always begins, one hp atta time.
So, you know, maybe you get plus 1.1 hp at 2800 rpm, and gain an average of 1.1hp per 100 rpm to the Power-peak at say 4400rpm.
Since you have a basic 180 hp engine, even the smallest 4bbl out there will fill the bill. And since I have already successfully run the Big Thermoquad on several smog-era 318s, I see no reason why it couldn't be adapted to your 273. and so I say again, install whatever you got or can get for cheap, cuz it really doesn't matter. Myself, I would be partial to a small spread-bore.

Whereas, a 2800 convertor is gonna allow your engine rpm to jump from say 1800, to 2800, right at zero mph, and you can bet the farm that a 4bbl cannot touch the associated hp increase, of this 1000rpm jump.
But it doesn't stop there; as the rpm is gonna now be higher thru-out the rpm band, therefore, so will be the horsepower at any given mile-per-hour.
So, whereas the 4 bbl brings max power at say 4400, which might not be until 44mph with 2.76 gears, the
convertor brings it's max effect, right at zero-mph. Just
mash the pedal, watch the tach jump to where some power is, and send it!
I guarantee you that, the TC will put a bigger smile on your face than just about anything you can bolt on to a stock 273 with log manifolds, short of supercharging it.
-----------------------------------
But you-know, I drive a standard transmission with a starter gear of 11/1, and can "stall" the engine at whatever rpm I want to;
so what do I know ...............
I live in Manitoba Canada, like around the 53rd parallel IIRC.. I drive my Barracuda from early-May to early-October. It used to be my DD.
The 367 in it,
has a 750 DP on an AirGap, with fresh cold air to the carb; and
the Idle-Timing is 12>14 degrees, and
since year 2000, she has never had a choke.
I get in, give her a couple of shots, twist the key, and just like that she comes alive. By the time she is backed out of the carport, and pointed in the "let's go" direction, she is in fact, almost, "ready to go". It takes 4>5 minutes to Idle past the school down the street, and then thru our dead little bedroom-town, before I get to the hiway, which will take me somewhere. By that time the heads are almost warm. A warm-up mile at 55/1900rpm, and it's wake-up time back in town, as the dual 3" cannons blast out the alarm-song.
and she does this on 87E10; which I highly recommend, cuz, you know, it has alcohol in it.......
which boils at 173*F;
which with 11/1 Scr/188psi CCP,
the heat of compression, has already made it ready to burn, long before the ignition system lights it off.
And that, friends, is why I threw my AFR gauge out, years ago.
You guys that insist on running conventional gas, IMO, are missing out on the 87alcohol, fast-burn, advantage.
>They say that we are gonna get 87E15 here shortly, which I will certainly try, perhaps even, embrace. I guess we'll see.
 
remytherat said:
That’s what I was saying until it was 41 degrees and I was pressed for time early in the morning but couldn’t get the damn thing to idle.

Holley VS with electric choke was a good deal. Makes life easier. Start and 10 seconds later pull away like it has efi.
Click to expand...
Here in Louisiana too. No choke needed till you need it. You can set it to non frozen choosen setting for those who live in a more normal climate.
To be fair I looked at it and there was not a Hurracane weather setting.
Oh well gotta take the bad with the good
 
340six said:
Here in Louisiana too. No choke needed till you need it. You can set it to non frozen choosen setting for those who live in a more normal climate.
To be fair I looked at it and there was not a Hurracane weather setting.
Oh well gotta take the bad with the good
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i think you need to upgrade the carb? clearly the factory settings should be: gumbo, mardi gras and hot as balls
 
junkyardhero said:
i think you need to upgrade the carb? clearly the factory settings should be: gumbo, mardi gras and hot as balls
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Hey it's hot, real hot. I had a guy working for me who looked like it was,raining where ever he walked.
He said it was worse than Nevada where it was hot but was a dry heat.
He used To live in Manhattan Beach .ca. you would think he would be used to heat? Was a retired surfer dude with a few loose screws.
 
340six said:
Hey it's hot, real hot. I had a guy working for me who looked like it was,raining where ever he walked.
He said it was worse than Nevada where it was hot but was a dry heat.
He used To live in Manhattan Beach .ca. you would think he would be used to heat? Was a retired surfer dude with a few loose screws.
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lolz. i'm socal native but have lived and worked in a wide array of locales and the whole "dry heat" is a very real thing. humidity kills me, because i'm a delicate flower.

full disclosure: i worked in NO and beaumount for a spell. no thanks. gimme 108 and 10% any day of the week.

oh and manhattan beach is very temperate. most of the beach cities out here average temps are in the mid 70's year round.
 
Cheap, cheap, cheap
Holley 600 vac sec Elec choke
I have a complete one *I'll give ya
I might even have an adapter
 
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