350 4 bolt main block

[wafrederick]

There is a special intake if you decide to run with the Vortec heads.I have heard the Holley is only good for race appplications over the Q-jet/Edelbrock,not a good street carb.Drawback with a Holley Carb,floods out running like crap,a pain to set up and one part gets changed,every part gets changed.Plus a Holley is a very crappy street carb,My father had one in a 1937 Pontiac street rod that ran like crap and threw away the Holley replacing it with an Edelbrock which ran better after the carb switch.

[luxeryvic]

so do vortec heads need a special intake or will any intake for a sbc work?
also how do you do porting, i saw a kit in a jegs catolouge, is this what i need?

[luxeryvic]

will vortec heads fit on a first gen sbc?

[silicon212]

Vortec heads are capable of fitting on any SBC that's not Gen-II or Gen-III, so yes they can bolt on a 1968 350 for example. And yes, you do need to use the special Vortec intake as no other intake will fit.

[luxeryvic]

ok thanks, but how do i go about porting an intake?

[MrPbody]

Edelbrock supplies several intakes specifically designed for Vortec heads. These install without modifications. For a heavier car with moderate cam and higher "torque" requiremnents, I would recommend Performer RPM "Air Gap", #7516. For a lighter car with higher revs in mind, Super Victor Vortec, #2913.
Since your stated goal is a race engine, these are the logical choices.

Porting an intake is straight-forward, but if you have no experience, get a book describing the purpose, techniques and pitfalls. Not something you wanna just "jump in and do". And know that porting the iron heads has different tool requirements than the aluminum intake. At your "entry level", I would suggest a "gasket march" ONLY, as the power gains from porting the intake are real, but minimal unless the entire package is matched. Lots of work for little return.

For a race engine, it's not possible to get better carbs than well-prepared Holleys. AED in Richmond, Virginia, is the current "leader" in race Holleys. Reasonably priced (around $500 for a GOOD race carb), they come out of the box and go on the engine, ready to race. An occasional jet change is necessary when track conditions vary. The negative issues spoken of above are usually due to worn out carbs or "last man in". The Edelbrock carbs are NOT suited for racing. VERY difficult to tune them and get them "right" on a high-horsepower engine. They're fine for a tool-around street car. We've tried them on larger street engines (over 400 CID), and they're not well suited for those, either.

Jim

[luxeryvic]

ok thanks, is there a specific cam you would recommend with those specs?

[wafrederick]

The Eedlebrocks are good carbs for engines 400 CID and over.My father's friend Tim has a 1972 El Camino with a factory 454 and it has a dual Edelbrock setup which runs great with no problems.Comp cams has a tech line you can call including the other Cam makers

[silicon212]

Originally Posted by wafrederick

The Eedlebrocks are good carbs for engines 400 CID and over.My father's friend Tim has a 1972 El Camino with a factory 454 and it has a dual Edelbrock setup which runs great with no problems.Comp cams has a tech line you can call including the other Cam makers

For street use, yes. I'd actually go as far to say it's better for the street than a Holley. However, when it comes to racing, it's the exact opposite.

[MrPbody]

Freddy,

Reread what you wrote. If Edelbrocks are good for larger engines, why are there two on there?

My outlook is quite different than yours. I don't "have a friend" that runs XXX. I have LOTS of customers. I see more combinations in a month than most people see in a lifetime. Don't misunderstand that statement. It doesn't make me "better" or "smarter". It makes me more aware. I have nothing to gain or lose by telling folks certain things work better than others. I was invited to be an "advisor" on this site because I don't steer people wrong. I tell the facts from a "pro's point of view".

The absolute BEST carb for a street car is a Q-Jet, but many have trouble with them. If you refer to them as "Quadra-flood" or "Quadra-junk", I rest my case...(:- This man said at the beginning, this is a RACE car. Nothing makes more power than a Holley. The best Holleys come from AED in Richmond, Virginia, until you start treading in ProStock territory, then it's Braswell. I was at Indy for the US Nationals in 2004 (and '05,6,7, missed this year). Barry Grant's ProStock was running well (in '04). I looked under the hood. Holleys. He wasn't there in '05. It didn't qualify in '06. Looked at it again. BGs. It wasn't there last year, either...

Vic,

For a solid flat-tappet and the Vortec head combo, I like the Comp 285B-6. 250/260 @ .050, .532/.555" lift on a 106 LSA. It likes compression around 10.5:1 or higher.

A roller is better. If the budget can stand it, THAT'S the way to go. The Comp 288AR-6 (252/258 @ .050, .630 lift, 106 LSA).

Jim

[silicon212]

Vic, also keep in mind that the cam that Mr. Peabody recommended is excellent for making high RPM power, but the 106 LSA will just about preclude it from street use (it'd probably like to idle @ around 2k RPM). He knows his stuff.

[wafrederick]

It came that way from the factory with a two 4 barrel carbs.My father has a 1962 Impala with a 409 that from the factory with 2 4 barrel carbs,2 Carter AFBs which look like Edelbrocks that runs great also.My father hates Holley carbs,had one on a 1937 pontiac street rod he bought down in Auburn with a 350,single carb and it ran like crap.Threw away the Holley away and replaced it with an Edelbrock,running better.

[MrPbody]

Freddy,

No '72 ANYTHING came from the factory with 2 4-bbls. Possible exception, the Hemi 'Cuda, but I'm not certain. If it DID, it had two AFBs on it.

And you said it better than I could... The Edelbrocks LOOK like AFBs. They do NOT perform like them. Kinda like Holley and Wieand intakes. They LOOK like Edelbrocks. They don't WORK like Edelbrocks. I'm a real fan of Edelbrock heads and manifolds. Don't have much use for anything else they market.

Your dad's bad experience with a Holley isn't all that rare. If the carb was new when installed, and a good Holley tuner was involved, and it STILL couldn't get "right", maybe the combination had some quirk to it. If the carb was rebuilt or "used" before installation, I would look there instead of simply throwing it away. A carb is a mechanical device, just like a distributor, an engine, a transmission, etc. It is subject to failure just like those others. Expertise in building them is vastly underrated.

My father had a saying regarding situations like this one "5,000 Frenchmen can't be wrong!" The vast majority of those using Holley carbs are quite satisfied with them. No other carb wins 10% of the races run over the year, that Holleys win. Be smart enough to know that one incident, especially where the "throw it out" mentality is used, should not be enough for you to make a blanket statement like "Holleys are junk". Maybe "The Holley my dad used was junk."

I'll leave this one alone now.

PAX

Jim

[wafrederick]

This 1972 El Camino did come with 2 4 barrel carbs.My father knows a guy that bought a 1970s Chevy truck with a holley and replaced it with an Edelbrock.It ran like crap also and that Holley carb almost was thrown to the floor.The Edelbrock is a lot easier to set up for street cars and the Holley is not.If a part on a Holley is changed,every part gets changed.

[MrPbody]

Sorry Freddy. Your information is inaccurate. Never a 72chevelleohio around when you need one...(:-

Jim