Hello. I have a 73 Century GS w/a 455. I have paid off Al heads, just waiting for them to come. Car has a Th200-4R and will have 3.73 or 4.10 gears. Current motor is a low compression stocker w/a TA212. I have a cam similar to a TA413 I will be running in a new shortblock w/more compression. I want to have a new carb (current q-jet has some probs). The guy at the local speed shop said the Edelbrock 850 q-jet (#1910) is too much, the 795 (#1906) version would be better (and of course that is what he had in stock). A Holley 850 (#4781) is another option, as well as the Holley 870 street avenger (#510-0-80870). I will drive this car daily, but I want as much power as possible. I would love to read comments from BPG members with some experience with any of these carbs. Thank you very much.
I currently run a Holley 950 HP from Bigs Performance. Buicks LOVE big carbs. It took me about two weeks, and once it was jetted properly for my engine, the things runs great. I get about 14 mpg cruising down the highway. And that's with a 3.73 rear. You can find Bigs on ebay all the time. Just type in "bigs holley" and their stuff will pop up. They are pricey at about $750 or so, but they do a lot of mods to the carb, take ALL the specs of your engine/car, and tailor make the carb for your car. I was very pleased with mine. And with a 413 cam, I would go any smaller than an 850 cfm. Here's a link to their ebay page: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33550&item=2450014241
Jim Weise is experimenting with a Holly Street Avenger 870 right now says he has some very good results on a 485 HP motor. The other option is to send your Q-jet to Jon Osborne, most of the guys here say its around $200 for a rebuild depending on the parts you need. Check for the newest thread "dyno results"
