I have a Holley 1850 from probably the 1960s sitting in my garage. It's got a hot air choke, and all butterflies are free, but it's cruddy. I'm running an old Edelbrock 1406 on my Mustang's 289 right now, and it's dialed in close on my wideband, but the idle/transition circuit is a little lean (at light cruise, it surges a bit and runs around 15:1 or so). Once I'm off the transition circuit, it richens out a bit and doesn't surge. At curb idle, it's at 13.4:1. Anyway, I'm thinking about trying this old 4160 rather than do any potentially harmful opening of idle restriction passages in the E-brock. I know I'll have to put in a power valve check valve, but what rebuild kit would you guys recommend (part number, if possible)? Most of my experience is with Carters, Fords, single barrel Rochesters, etc., but I know my way around a Holley reasonably well. Any guidance or advice would be appreciated. Oh yeah, the 289 has Tri-Y headers, a 204/214 @.050 cam, Weiand intake...basically a mild, mild build. I'm thinking of using the Holley because I have it.
does the carb actually have a "list 1850" stamped on the choke tower or did someone just say it was an 1850 600 cfm carb ? the 1850's are a vac secondary , manual choke model . unless some older models were dif ? got a couple pics of carb ? try quick fuel carb kit #3-2000 I think it is , $16.92 at summit , cheapest and has all the parts you should need for the 1850 . handy , I try and keep 1 or 2 around most of the time just in case . and with just a dif base to body gasket it'll do a #3310 750 vac sec and similar carbs also - same power valve , same pump diaphragm . one thing though - that kit does not include the non adjustable needle n seat assy's just the nice old school style . may want to just add in a new vac secondary diaphragm also , about $10.00 , holley part #135-4 . there are also a couple kits available to have a "pop top" on the vac secondary so you can change the spring ( to CORRECTLY adjust your secondary opening rate ) without taking a bunch of crap off the carb to get to it . on the manual choke model with plastic bracket etc its easy to drill a hole to get to the hidden vac secondary screw . I would say its worth a go - give ya some extra adjustability and choices . good practice too .
Yeah, it's a List 1850, #5752426, which from what I can tell belongs to a '58 or '59 Mercury or Lincoln 430. Yikes, that's old! This thing has been off a car for decades and decades. I might want to find another swap meet one that might have been on a car in this century!
well if it is some older version that ford used as an oem carb could be worth a few extra bucks that way . a little homework and a quick clean-up could pay for a new carb ! probably not but --- ? I don't know about where you live but I go to a late fall swap and I buy those for $20-40 , decent lookin too , not trashed . its worth lookin for a decent lookin complete one than saving a couple bucks . people are lookin for santa claus/winter heat/spring race car parts money . you can also look for the 80457 carb which is basically just a newer version with electric choke and ford kickdown ( not AOD ) linkage built in . and look for the newer versions , -4 or -6 say , power valve blow out protection plus the -2 I have apart now has the open spot in the rear of the body which takes an extra gasket and metal plate which is kind of a pain . and I like the external adjustment floats better than the others with no adjustment nut n screw on top of each bowl and no site window .
That's a good idea. There are a few swap meets coming up over the next few months around here. I tried a brand new 1850-3 (I think it was) last summer. Right out of the box, it backfired out of the carb as soon as I got on the gas at all. I took it apart, blew out all passages in the primary metering block, and tried again. No luck...talked to the tech line, readjusted the accelerator pump. I basically tried everything, even jetting it up a few sizes. Went back to the Edelbrock, and it was fine other than its light throttle slight leanness. I sent the new carb back. It just seems like the older a part is, the better it works (much of the time). Parts are sure a crap shoot these days.
Contact Ken from Everyday Performance and he can build and calibrate a Q jet for you. Look in the vendors section for Everyday.
sean : I think its going on his 289 . although a q-jet on a ford would work , not gonna find a manifold .
That's the main problem...plus, finding and kitting an old Holley 600 is still going to be way cheaper, and more than enough carb for my little 289. I'd also be happy to find a little Holley 390 or a 465...they would be perfect! It would be fun to put a Q-Jet on there just to see what my Dad would say. The Mustang is my family heirloom (my mom's first car, 1968), and my Dad has helped me a lot on it over the years...he's a real Ford guy. I'd love to pop the hood and show him that it took a GM carb to make it run perfectly.
Then just find a 289 carb it will be less hassle than trying to rejet and calibrate another carb for the engine. The factory spent a lot of time ensuring that each engine had a carb dialed in with the right calibrations.
That's the other problem...Autolite 4100s from 289s are generally going for $300 or $400, and there's no guarantee they're any good. It's a good old carb, but they don't grow on trees and the last one was made in 1967 or 8.
