Anyone use a 950 3-barrel

Discussion in 'Holley' started by otter, Jun 21, 2009.

  1. otter

    otter It'll be done someday.

    I have been setting aside money to get a 950 cfm Holley HP carb when I noticed on ebay a few 950 3 barrel carbs, I had forgotten about those, I know they were used 40 years ago, are they any good today? they are less than 1/2 the price of a new 950 4 barrel.
     

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  2. Schurkey

    Schurkey Silver Level contributor

    First Guess: They're 1/2 the price because they are old, odd, partly or completely worn-out; and they weren't all that popular when they were new because they had some tuning issues. You'd be better off with the newer carb unless you're very experienced in rebuilding and tuning the Holley.

    Even so--I would like to try one someday...

    I'm thinking there's also a 1050 version of the 3-barrel.

    I thought--but do not know for sure--that the 3-barrels came with the BIG secondary vacuum pod similar to the Holley Tri-Power end carbs as used on Corvette and Mopar. Might want to verify that before buying a carb with the small pod.
     
  3. 73-462GS

    73-462GS GS Mike

    Looks like one of the huge carbs for the piston engine planes used in WW2. Just kidding. Peace, Mike D.
     
  4. doc

    doc Well-Known Member

    I have used both the 950 and currently have 2 1050 3barrells and regard them as the best holley carb that you can get.... they are just like the 4150 as far as parts, kits , ect ... they fit inside the air cleaners, dont have any hood clearance problems, use vac secondaries, and they will really make a big buick engine come alive.... you do need to have a good hot cam to get all the potential out of one of them.... also you either need to notch the divider for the secondary plate or space the carb up off the manifold enough for the divider to clear the plate... i make my own heat shield/adapter plate out of 3/8'' hot rolled steel and match the openings to the carb, rather than the manifold.... the only thing that i had to do to the carb to use it on my 401 was put a stronger spring in the sec. diaphragm... this stops it from bogging when the sec kicks in....also, most times you will need to make the intake horns bigger on the air cleaner to handel the increased flow....If a 3 bbl is fine tuned ,and fully developed , they will, will, will really perform...You will need to do a ''doc dual plane'' mod to the intake manifold... [cut the partition out from between the front and rear barrel openings] to get the full potential of the carb/intake combo.... also keep the heat in the manifold to ''flash'' the fuel into a vapor better....
    Warning ,,,, be very carefull buying one off of ebay,,,, i have seen several that had been ragged out,,,, remember, if the secondaries have annular rings in the secondary opening it is a 950, if not it is a 1050....
    In the past I have beat a lot of cars that had 2x4s , 3x2, ect.... with a single 3 bbl.....it is a beautifull set up , One carb to rebuild, one set of linkage, fits under the hood, one set of fuel lines, doesnt look fast, and every body and his dog doesnt have one of them.... you should see peoples reaction when they read the spec sheet at a show and spot the 3bbl designation.....
     
  5. DaWildcat

    DaWildcat Platinum Level Contributor

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