My friend's selling his slightly used 600 cfm 1850. Its setup for manual choke and vacuum secondaries. He bought it remanned from holley. Right now ive got a stock early 80s truck 350 with a junky M4M quardajet in need of rebuild, eventually will rebuild the engine with cam, intake, headers and exhaust, possible head work, but plan on keeping the power band low, 5000 rpm red is fine with me. From my calcs a 600cfm carb should be good to about 6k rpm on a 350.

The questions:

Is this carb decent?

How will it run with my stock engine, and will it be enough when I do my modifications?

What will I have to get to hook it up to my stock intake? I'd rather not get a new intake yet.

How hard is this carb to tune?

What should I pay for a lightly used one? I can get one that's rebuilt by Holley for $160 in jegs? Does $100 sound fair for the used one?

Thanks guys

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82 T/A 305/TH350; soon to be 350/T-5

 

I speak carburetor; and would love to learn injection. The 1850 is a vanilla Holley carb. I prefer electric chokes, but manual is OK if you don't forget and leave it choked. The vacuum secondaries will work well with your setup. Bear in mind that you can tune the primaries with jetting, but the secondaries use a metering plate with fixed size fuel orifices.
If the throttle-blade shafts are not loose and worn, $100 is a fair price. If they are worn and sloppy, don't buy it.


It will have good throttle response

 

when you say jetting is that like swapping the jets? or is that a screw adjustment? Are other secondary metering plates available?

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82 T/A 305/TH350; soon to be 350/T-5

 

They have jets in the front (primaries) and at the back (secondaries) standard they have a metering plate. The jets and the plate are changed to achieve the right mixture. If you are going to do a lot of tinkering with the secondaries it is cheaper to buy a conversion kit to convert the metering plate to standard screw in jets.

 

The 850 is Holleys cheap, basic, works on anything carb. They're about the easiest holleys to tune. Kinda hard to go wrong with.

You'll need an adapter to use it on your stock intake.
I got mine for $25 used. Similar deals can be found if you look around.

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"American made baby. 100% American iron. The muscle among the masses. My hero. Yep, you can take your ergonomically designed, space age, computer controlled, 4 door, cup holding map lighted split double wishbone split fold down retractable cargo covered moon roof piece of transportation and keep it. For I have felt the thunder. And I know the difference!"
JSP Motorsports
ICON Motorsports

 

I suggest getting a square bore manifold for it. The Q-jet manifolds don't adapt well to the adpaters unless you grind away some of the center crap. My Holley used to spray gas back up from the primaries under hard/fast acceleration when gas flow increased but vaccum decreased fast. This disappeared when I put the performer on so my best guess is the fuel was hitting the middle of the manifold and bouncing back up. Sounds very unlikely but same carb and just a different manifold stopped it so thats the only way I can explain it. If you're intent on using the stock manifold grind it to look like other square bore manifolds. Don't take make it into a single plan manifold just enlarge the front holes. Manual chokes are ok and I'm pretty sure they sell a conversion kit to convert to an electric choke (which are also crap!!!)

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1984 WS6 Trans Am Hartop
Former L69 Car under restoration
1984 Trans Am T-tops
4-bolt main 350, performer intake, headers, Holley 650, T-5, hayes clutch, dual elec. fans and 3.23's.
Daily driver and restoration
13.98 @ 101

 

Ok, If I'm going to need a $25 adaptor to use the carb, would this be a good time to get a new intake manifold? I see I can get the edelbrock torker II for $93 in summit. Is this a good manifold? Would this also be a good time to put in a new cam to match the manifold and carb? Any recomendations on the cam or a different intake? I've been meaning to do this all eventually, so if its going to be easier to do it all now, I will. My plans for this car are to make it a nice street car with good power. No serious drag racing, so I'd like to keep the power band from like 1500-5500 ish.

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82 T/A 305/TH350; soon to be 350/T-5

 

84FTA, how do you like the performer intake? I see there is a non-egr version for about $105.

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82 T/A 305/TH350; soon to be 350/T-5

 

If it's in good shape, it's an excellent carb. I've had good luck with mine. Get an assortment of vacuum secondary springs. I like my stealth intake.


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82 camaro--original steering wheel, brake/gas pedals, seats--everything else modified
82camaro

[This message has been edited by 82camaro (edited February 05, 2001).]

 

Dont get the Torker II, Its totally Mismatched For what You Want.

The Edlebrbokc performer is an excelelnt Mild street manifold, I bolt that, a Eldebrokc 600 Cfm carb and their performer Cam into a 305 and it Pulls really well Up to around 6grand.

If your just looking for a decent Upgrade from stock, I dont think you will be dissapointed.

As for installation, if you have the Manifold off, your 1/3 On the way to repalcing the cam anyhow, if you have the money to buy the cam and associated parts ( Lifters, Timing chain ) Do it now, Wills ave you from doing things Twice in the Future.



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60 Ranchero - Project ( Money Hole )
85 Sport Coupe LG4 - Daily Driver

Just another Hot Rod kid, or thats what they all tell me.
Livin' the Stereotype

 

Any reccomendations on cams? I know there are many many choices, but I really dont know where to start looking. What number range should I be looking for as far as lift, duration, lobe seperation etc?

Thanks for all the advice so far!